2006 HD2

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2006 HD2

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 4,185,915 km of Earth in 2032
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2006 HD2 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2006 HD2 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2006 HD2 orbits the sun every 1,060 days (2.90 years), coming as close as 0.81 AU and reaching as far as 3.25 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2006 HD2 is probably between 0.176 to 0.393 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2006 HD2's orbit is 0.03 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is a wide berth between this asteroid and Earth at all times.

2006 HD2 has 12 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
March 27, 2032 4,185,915 14.021
Dec. 1, 2034 6,594,837 13.529
April 6, 2061 21,069,471 17.762
Dec. 28, 2063 20,850,721 10.692
Feb. 7, 2093 26,774,777 11.476
March 26, 2119 7,216,365 12.818
Nov. 23, 2121 15,201,279 16.785
Feb. 20, 2145 24,987,262 11.213
March 20, 2171 10,757,944 11.787
Nov. 22, 2173 21,607,043 17.776
April 9, 2197 19,764,133 17.558
Dec. 16, 2199 15,224,901 11.270

Images and Observations

2006 HD2's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 20, 2005. It was last officially observed on Oct. 23, 2008. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 69 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

This asteroid is not considered a viable target for human exploration by the NHATS study.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2006 HD2:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.031 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.6011
  • Inclination: 4.02°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 30.21°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 95.85°
  • Mean Anomaly: 31.68°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.227 km
  • Magnitude: 20.9

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,060 days (2.90 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 20.84 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.25 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.81 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2006 HD2 is indicated by a ◯ pink circle. Note that the object may not be in your current field of view. Use the controls below to adjust position, location, and time.

Size Rendering

The below comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 2006 HD2 to create an approximate landscape rendering with New York City in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.