Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 25,201,323 km of Earth in 2021
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2011 YL63 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2011 YL63 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 YL63 orbits the sun every 918 days (2.51 years), coming as close as 0.28 AU and reaching as far as 3.41 AU from the sun. Its orbit is highly elliptical. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2011 YL63 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

2011 YL63's orbit is 0.17 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 YL63 has 3 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Dec. 8, 2021 25,201,323 31.920
Dec. 5, 2119 28,567,218 27.834
Dec. 10, 2124 22,451,408 31.718

Images and Observations

2011 YL63's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Dec. 31, 2011. It was last officially observed on Jan. 4, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 57 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 YL63:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.848 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.8465
  • Inclination: 19.04°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 104.61°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 205.03°
  • Mean Anomaly: 268.69°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.231 km
  • Magnitude: 20.86

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 918 days (2.51 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 21.90 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.41 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.28 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2011 YL63 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 YL63 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.