Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 13,733,181 km of Earth in 2042
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2010 YB is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2010 YB as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2010 YB orbits the sun every 898 days (2.46 years), coming as close as 0.92 AU and reaching as far as 2.72 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2010 YB is probably between 0.179 to 0.400 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2010 YB's orbit is 0.05 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.

2010 YB has 8 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Nov. 3, 2042 13,733,181 7.911
Dec. 21, 2074 6,816,555 9.660
Sept. 20, 2079 14,249,238 11.928
Dec. 12, 2111 8,931,888 8.390
Sept. 14, 2116 25,594,095 14.477
Jan. 5, 2144 21,457,857 13.735
Oct. 3, 2148 8,091,556 9.177
Dec. 2, 2180 11,488,473 7.967

Images and Observations

2010 YB's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Dec. 14, 2010. It was last officially observed on March 7, 2016. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 241 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 2010 YB:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.822 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4946
  • Inclination: 3.6°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 314.48°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 94.49°
  • Mean Anomaly: 77.39°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.231 km
  • Magnitude: 20.86

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 898 days (2.46 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 22.07 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.72 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.92 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2010 YB 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 2010 YB 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.