2008 KE6

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2008 KE6

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 23,643,830 km of Earth in 2032
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2008 KE6 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2008 KE6 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2008 KE6 orbits the sun every 803 days (2.20 years), coming as close as 0.81 AU and reaching as far as 2.57 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2008 KE6 is probably between 0.186 to 0.417 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2008 KE6'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.

2008 KE6 has 13 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Nov. 13, 2032 23,643,830 17.746
Nov. 10, 2043 16,293,452 16.094
Nov. 9, 2054 13,920,663 15.506
Nov. 9, 2065 14,519,062 15.662
Nov. 11, 2076 17,225,396 16.302
Nov. 15, 2087 24,833,826 17.997
June 15, 2118 22,985,747 17.814
June 18, 2129 15,974,831 16.433
June 18, 2140 14,268,883 16.085
June 17, 2151 18,479,758 16.923
Nov. 18, 2175 28,014,369 18.690
Nov. 11, 2186 12,638,199 15.205
Nov. 4, 2197 8,687,242 12.764

Images and Observations

2008 KE6's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 29, 2008. It was last officially observed on Jan. 7, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 74 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 2008 KE6:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.69 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5209
  • Inclination: 3.43°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 113.71°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 224.3°
  • Mean Anomaly: 318.15°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.241 km
  • Magnitude: 20.77

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 803 days (2.20 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 22.90 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.57 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.81 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2008 KE6 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 2008 KE6 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.