2014 MC6

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2014 MC6

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
  • Will pass within 27,624,283 km of Earth in 2024
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2014 MC6 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2014 MC6 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.

2014 MC6 orbits the sun every 1,200 days (3.29 years), coming as close as 0.82 AU and reaching as far as 3.61 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2014 MC6 is probably between 0.350 to 0.784 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building.

Close Approaches

2014 MC6's orbit is 0.11 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.

2014 MC6 has 9 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
April 26, 2024 27,624,283 19.412
Aug. 26, 2047 25,631,495 14.524
May 26, 2057 20,685,284 13.817
Sept. 4, 2080 27,128,235 16.437
June 5, 2090 23,482,328 13.551
May 4, 2133 18,536,685 17.319
May 2, 2166 22,432,801 18.403
Aug. 26, 2189 25,734,604 13.896
May 11, 2199 15,150,671 15.871

Images and Observations

2014 MC6's orbit is determined by observations dating back to June 15, 2014. It was last officially observed on Oct. 27, 2014. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 63 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 2014 MC6:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.215 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.6292
  • Inclination: 10.39°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 83.92°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 197.27°
  • Mean Anomaly: 280.75°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.452 km
  • Magnitude: 19.4

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,200 days (3.29 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 20.08 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.61 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.82 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2014 MC6 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 2014 MC6 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.