2016 BX80

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2016 BX80

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 16,057,975 km of Earth in 2022
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2016 BX80 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2016 BX80 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 BX80 orbits the sun every 530 days (1.45 years), coming as close as 0.81 AU and reaching as far as 1.75 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2016 BX80 is probably between 0.186 to 0.415 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2016 BX80's orbit is 0.08 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.

2016 BX80 has 20 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Nov. 1, 2022 16,057,975 12.721
July 9, 2025 27,547,784 8.672
Sept. 12, 2038 27,191,874 9.306
May 23, 2041 21,896,819 13.583
Nov. 1, 2051 15,029,877 12.372
July 5, 2054 26,563,218 8.421
Sept. 5, 2067 28,757,549 9.573
May 21, 2070 26,448,904 14.735
Oct. 26, 2080 12,063,208 10.628
June 19, 2083 22,056,877 7.972
Oct. 21, 2109 14,045,616 9.339
June 8, 2112 18,002,555 8.741
Oct. 18, 2138 16,021,129 8.878
June 6, 2141 16,942,236 9.134
Oct. 25, 2167 12,878,368 9.850
June 17, 2170 20,960,404 8.088
Sept. 2, 2183 29,494,070 9.740
May 22, 2186 27,354,948 14.966
Nov. 2, 2196 15,025,349 12.317
July 10, 2199 27,047,214 8.608

Images and Observations

2016 BX80's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Jan. 8, 2016. It was last officially observed on Nov. 26, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 133 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 2016 BX80:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.281 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.3691
  • Inclination: 5.84°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 341.83°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 342.23°
  • Mean Anomaly: 249.3°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.240 km
  • Magnitude: 20.78

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 530 days (1.45 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 26.29 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.75 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.81 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2016 BX80 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 2016 BX80 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.