Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field (0.21 km diameter)
  • Will pass within 23,215,456 km of Earth in 2033
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2016 FY3 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2016 FY3 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2016 FY3 orbits the sun every 1,550 days (4.24 years), coming as close as 0.82 AU and reaching as far as 4.43 AU from the sun. 2016 FY3 is about 0.2 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, comparable in size to a football field.

The rotation of 2016 FY3 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 19.80 hours.

Close Approaches

2016 FY3's orbit is 0.00 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.

2016 FY3 has 3 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
May 9, 2033 23,215,456 17.143
May 5, 2067 21,186,984 17.621
May 11, 2084 29,125,639 16.400

Images and Observations

2016 FY3's orbit is determined by observations dating back to March 19, 2016. It was last officially observed on Sept. 27, 2016. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 266 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 FY3:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.625 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.6887
  • Inclination: 22.44°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 35.9°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 238.42°
  • Mean Anomaly: 255.83°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 0.20500 km
  • Magnitude: 21.2
  • Albedo: 0.125

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,550 days (4.24 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 18.42 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 4.43 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.82 AU
  • Rotation Period: 19.80 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2016 FY3 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 FY3 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.