2016 ED85

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
• Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
• Will pass within 28,138,129 km of Earth in 2020
• Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

2016 ED85 is a mid-sized asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2016 ED85 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 ED85 orbits the sun every 1,890 days (5.17 years), coming as close as 0.91 AU and reaching as far as 5.06 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2016 ED85 is probably between 0.788 to 1.762 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge.

The rotation of 2016 ED85 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 3.22 hours.

Close Approaches

2016 ED85's orbit is 0.07 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 ED85 has 2 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Images and Observations

2016 ED85's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 8, 1989. It was last officially observed on May 3, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 862 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 ED85:

• 61 Danae (A860 RC)
• 117 Lomia (A871 RB)
• 150 Nuwa (A875 UA)

References

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

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2016 ED85 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 above comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 2016 ED85 to create an approximate landscape rendering with Mount Everest in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.