2006 SS134

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2006 SS134

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 12,154,936 km of Earth in 2025
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2006 SS134 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2006 SS134 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2006 SS134 orbits the sun every 463 days (1.27 years), coming as close as 0.65 AU and reaching as far as 1.69 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2006 SS134 is probably between 0.134 to 0.299 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2006 SS134'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 SS134 has 17 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Oct. 1, 2025 12,154,936 18.965
March 13, 2043 16,822,543 18.828
Sept. 26, 2058 11,800,891 15.312
March 22, 2062 16,879,001 15.840
Sept. 29, 2077 5,397,158 17.625
March 31, 2081 29,476,343 13.887
March 12, 2095 18,749,840 19.391
Sept. 27, 2110 9,552,224 15.667
March 25, 2114 19,185,221 15.320
Oct. 3, 2129 14,891,950 19.474
Sept. 24, 2143 26,367,409 13.174
March 18, 2147 13,526,893 17.597
Sept. 30, 2162 3,841,539 17.201
April 1, 2166 28,541,507 13.932
March 14, 2180 16,411,994 18.883
Sept. 29, 2195 4,322,983 16.667
March 29, 2199 24,011,548 14.479

Images and Observations

2006 SS134's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 28, 2006. It was last officially observed on Oct. 22, 2020. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 192 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 SS134:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.171 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.442
  • Inclination: 19.54°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 9.01°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 256.1°
  • Mean Anomaly: 184.96°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.173 km
  • Magnitude: 21.49

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 463 days (1.27 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 27.51 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.69 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.65 AU

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

⧉

Sky Map

The position of 2006 SS134 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 SS134 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.