2016 KC is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2016 KC 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 KC orbits the sun every 553 days (1.51 years), coming as close as 0.96 AU and reaching as far as 1.68 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2016 KC is probably between 0.070 to 0.156 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.
2016 KC's orbit is 0.03 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 KC has 10 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
---|---|---|
May 21, 2019 | 15,918,526 | 10.081 |
April 4, 2066 | 22,291,878 | 5.921 |
May 14, 2069 | 5,186,717 | 7.761 |
May 26, 2072 | 27,561,448 | 12.162 |
March 18, 2116 | 24,320,337 | 5.833 |
May 14, 2119 | 5,573,877 | 7.379 |
May 25, 2122 | 21,967,175 | 11.143 |
Feb. 20, 2169 | 25,317,201 | 5.819 |
May 8, 2172 | 9,630,369 | 6.648 |
May 22, 2175 | 13,364,676 | 9.638 |
2016 KC's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 13, 2016. It was last officially observed on May 31, 2019. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 44 observations used to determine its orbit.
The position of 2016 KC 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.
The below comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 2016 KC 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.