2006 RH120

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
• Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
• Will pass within 4,018,598 km of Earth in 2028
• Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

2006 RH120 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2006 RH120 as a "Near Earth Asteroid" due to its orbit's proximity to Earth, but it is not considered potentially hazardous because computer simulations have not indicated any imminent likelihood of future collision.

2006 RH120 orbits the sun every 384 days (1.05 years), coming as close as 1.01 AU and reaching as far as 1.06 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2006 RH120 is probably between 0.002 to 0.010 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

The rotation of 2006 RH120 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 0.05 hours.

Close Approaches

2006 RH120's orbit is 0.02 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 RH120 has 3 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

NASA Sentry has assessed impact risk for 108 very close approach scenarios. Here are the top scenarios ordered by probability of impact:

Images and Observations

2006 RH120's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 14, 2006. It was last officially observed on June 22, 2007. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 133 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2006 RH120 can be reached with a journey of 370 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 3.838 km/s. To put this into perspective, the delta-v to launch a rocket to Low-Earth Orbit is 9.7 km/s. There are 2,496,182 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2006 RH120.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2006 RH120:

• 4544 Xanthus (1989 FB)
• 4581 Asclepius (1989 FC)
• 98943 (2001 CC21)

References

• JPL Small Body Database
• Mission Design
• Sky Finder Chart

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2006 RH120 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.