2011 YG6

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2011 YG6

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 20,214,687 km of Earth in 2035
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2011 YG6 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2011 YG6 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2011 YG6 orbits the sun every 459 days (1.26 years), coming as close as 0.82 AU and reaching as far as 1.51 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2011 YG6 is probably between 0.161 to 0.360 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2011 YG6'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.

2011 YG6 has 18 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
June 21, 2035 20,214,687 19.044
June 26, 2040 4,856,258 16.405
July 2, 2045 29,187,717 14.499
Dec. 19, 2055 24,232,128 15.120
Dec. 20, 2060 12,289,668 17.380
June 22, 2079 18,357,173 18.801
June 27, 2084 8,583,653 15.971
Dec. 19, 2099 15,261,262 15.923
Dec. 24, 2104 20,959,295 18.963
June 20, 2118 28,780,076 20.215
June 27, 2123 4,076,127 16.788
July 2, 2128 25,610,016 14.672
Dec. 19, 2138 26,729,253 14.946
Dec. 22, 2143 11,312,189 17.104
June 22, 2162 19,880,290 18.980
June 29, 2167 7,542,093 16.078
Dec. 20, 2182 15,297,804 15.894
Dec. 25, 2187 20,815,429 18.962

Images and Observations

2011 YG6's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Dec. 24, 2011. It was last officially observed on Jan. 5, 2017. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 201 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 YG6:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.164 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.2989
  • Inclination: 28.06°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 92.82°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 267.37°
  • Mean Anomaly: 177.76°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.208 km
  • Magnitude: 21.09

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 459 days (1.26 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 27.59 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.51 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.82 AU

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

⧉

Sky Map

The position of 2011 YG6 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 2011 YG6 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.