2006 PA1

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2006 PA1

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
  • Will pass within 7,521,902 km of Earth in 2035
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2006 PA1 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2006 PA1 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2006 PA1 orbits the sun every 1,060 days (2.90 years), coming as close as 0.91 AU and reaching as far as 3.15 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2006 PA1 is probably between 0.289 to 0.646 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building.

The rotation of 2006 PA1 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 4.44 hours.

Close Approaches

2006 PA1'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 PA1 has 9 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Dec. 9, 2035 7,521,902 9.265
Dec. 8, 2064 7,279,227 9.141
Dec. 18, 2093 5,385,935 10.272
Jan. 2, 2123 19,387,554 14.037
Sept. 16, 2125 21,606,597 14.629
Dec. 29, 2151 11,977,030 12.530
Sept. 13, 2154 29,090,234 16.213
Jan. 7, 2181 29,914,974 16.315
Sept. 23, 2183 12,214,615 12.535

Images and Observations

2006 PA1's orbit is determined by observations dating back to July 20, 2006. It was last officially observed on March 29, 2016. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 313 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 PA1:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.034 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5505
  • Inclination: 2.43°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 322.19°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 85.88°
  • Mean Anomaly: 288.42°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.373 km
  • Magnitude: 19.82

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,060 days (2.90 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 20.88 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.15 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.91 AU
  • Rotation Period: 4.44 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2006 PA1 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 PA1 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.