Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 17,561,236 km of Earth in 2020
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2016 JU28 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2016 JU28 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 JU28 orbits the sun every 290 days (0.79 years), coming as close as 0.58 AU and reaching as far as 1.13 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2016 JU28 is probably between 0.005 to 0.022 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2016 JU28's orbit is 0.01 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 JU28 has 14 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
June 2, 2020 17,561,236 6.648
July 10, 2024 19,354,189 6.516
Aug. 1, 2028 18,112,254 9.407
May 9, 2039 29,254,040 14.054
May 7, 2043 4,374,726 8.972
May 23, 2047 13,982,330 6.648
Aug. 1, 2059 22,747,227 11.042
May 9, 2070 28,394,369 13.884
May 6, 2074 5,636,201 9.257
Aug. 1, 2090 16,327,997 8.024
Aug. 1, 2094 25,057,090 11.696
May 8, 2113 18,828,077 11.947
May 7, 2117 7,106,020 9.591
May 9, 2121 3,211,962 7.844

Images and Observations

2016 JU28's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 11, 2016. It was last officially observed on May 14, 2016. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 17 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2016 JU28 can be reached with a journey of 354 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 10.2 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 4,212 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2016 JU28.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2016 JU28:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 0.8581 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.3196
  • Inclination: 6.3°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 53.7°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 34.03°
  • Mean Anomaly: 201.35°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.014 km
  • Magnitude: 27.7

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 290 days (0.79 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 32.19 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.13 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.58 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2016 JU28 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.