2016 AF2

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
• Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
• Will pass within 2,805,427 km of Earth in 2020
• Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

2016 AF2 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2016 AF2 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.

2016 AF2 orbits the sun every 303 days (0.83 years), coming as close as 0.69 AU and reaching as far as 1.07 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2016 AF2 is probably between 0.005 to 0.020 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2016 AF2's orbit is 0.01 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.

2016 AF2 has 3 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

NASA Sentry has assessed impact risk for 6 very close approach scenarios. Here are the top scenarios ordered by probability of impact:

Images and Observations

2016 AF2's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Jan. 1, 2016. It was last officially observed on Jan. 13, 2016. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 22 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2016 AF2 can be reached with a journey of 330 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 6.812 km/s. To put this into perspective, the delta-v to launch a rocket to Low-Earth Orbit is 9.7 km/s. There are 308,010 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2016 AF2.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2016 AF2:

• 85989 (1999 JD6)
• 137924 (2000 BD19)
• 152742 (1998 XE12)

References

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

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2016 AF2 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.