Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Amor-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 26,615,212 km of Earth in 2026
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2013 BF27 is a very small asteroid whose orbit approaches the orbit of Earth but does not cross it. NASA JPL has classified 2013 BF27 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.

2013 BF27 orbits the sun every 591 days (1.62 years), coming as close as 1.06 AU and reaching as far as 1.69 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2013 BF27 is probably between 0.134 to 0.301 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2013 BF27's orbit is 0.16 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.

2013 BF27 has 9 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Feb. 20, 2026 26,615,212 6.915
Feb. 11, 2047 26,493,669 5.114
Feb. 20, 2081 25,266,758 6.514
Feb. 10, 2102 28,358,986 5.076
Feb. 22, 2136 24,880,210 6.333
May 5, 2136 29,629,227 3.322
Feb. 9, 2157 29,097,235 5.074
Feb. 22, 2191 24,785,515 6.217
May 6, 2191 29,359,763 3.402

Images and Observations

2013 BF27's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Jan. 17, 2013. It was last officially observed on July 9, 2018. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 70 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 2013 BF27:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.378 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.2299
  • Inclination: 9.83°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 290.52°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 253.48°
  • Mean Anomaly: 159.81°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.174 km
  • Magnitude: 21.48

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 591 days (1.62 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 25.37 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.69 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.06 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2013 BF27 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 2013 BF27 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.