2011 UC64

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
• Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
• Will pass within 14,678,107 km of Earth in 2021
• Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

2011 UC64 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2011 UC64 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.

2011 UC64 orbits the sun every 405 days (1.11 years), coming as close as 0.58 AU and reaching as far as 1.57 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2011 UC64 is probably between 0.007 to 0.016 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2011 UC64's orbit is 0.00 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.

2011 UC64 has 4 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

NASA Sentry has assessed impact risk for 41 very close approach scenarios. Here are the top scenarios ordered by probability of impact:

Images and Observations

2011 UC64's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 22, 2011. It was last officially observed on Oct. 24, 2011. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 49 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 2011 UC64:

• 1566 Icarus (1949 MA)
• 1865 Cerberus (1971 UA)
• 2063 Bacchus (1977 HB)

References

• JPL Small Body Database
• Mission Design
• Sky Finder Chart

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2011 UC64 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.