2009 YT6

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2009 YT6

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 23,594,066 km of Earth in 2025
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2009 YT6 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2009 YT6 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.

2009 YT6 orbits the sun every 782 days (2.14 years), coming as close as 0.85 AU and reaching as far as 2.48 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2009 YT6 is probably between 0.201 to 0.449 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2009 YT6'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.

2009 YT6 has 3 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
May 18, 2025 23,594,066 14.091
May 15, 2040 29,507,996 13.309
May 26, 2192 14,336,787 17.517

Images and Observations

2009 YT6's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Dec. 19, 2009. It was last officially observed on Jan. 12, 2010. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 26 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 2009 YT6:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.661 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4912
  • Inclination: 22.13°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 72.11°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 100.45°
  • Mean Anomaly: 103.0°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.259 km
  • Magnitude: 20.61

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 782 days (2.14 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 23.11 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.48 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.85 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2009 YT6 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 2009 YT6 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.