2007 MK6

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2007 MK6

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 13,073,894 km of Earth in 2025
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2007 MK6 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2007 MK6 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.

2007 MK6 orbits the sun every 411 days (1.13 years), coming as close as 0.20 AU and reaching as far as 1.97 AU from the sun. Its orbit is highly elliptical. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2007 MK6 is probably between 0.236 to 0.527 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2007 MK6's orbit is 0.09 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.

2007 MK6 has 11 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
June 13, 2025 13,073,894 28.901
June 12, 2034 14,462,931 27.609
June 11, 2043 19,014,549 26.313
June 9, 2052 25,356,472 25.001
June 21, 2107 26,667,316 33.426
June 18, 2116 19,715,602 31.779
June 17, 2125 14,567,329 30.278
June 16, 2134 12,240,165 29.025
June 14, 2143 13,259,174 27.823
June 12, 2152 17,182,722 26.608
June 11, 2161 22,994,889 25.364

Images and Observations

2007 MK6's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 26, 2006. It was last officially observed on June 25, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 130 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 2007 MK6:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.081 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.8187
  • Inclination: 25.12°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 92.85°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 25.51°
  • Mean Anomaly: 198.92°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.304 km
  • Magnitude: 20.26

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 411 days (1.13 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 28.61 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.97 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.20 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2007 MK6 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 2007 MK6 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.