2016 GC134

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
• Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
• Will pass within 17,349,231 km of Earth in 2021
• Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

2016 GC134 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2016 GC134 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 GC134 orbits the sun every 460 days (1.26 years), coming as close as 0.98 AU and reaching as far as 1.35 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2016 GC134 is probably between 0.010 to 0.045 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2016 GC134's orbit is 0.02 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is an wide berth between this asteroid and Earth at all times.

2016 GC134 has 1 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Images and Observations

2016 GC134's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 3, 2016. It was last officially observed on April 17, 2016. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 24 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2016 GC134 can be reached with a journey of 362 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 7.514 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 91,665 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2016 GC134.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2016 GC134:

• 138893 (2000 YH66)
• 141079 (2001 XS30)
• 152828 (1999 VT25)

References

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

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2016 GC134 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 GC134 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.