2016 KL1

Very small Aten-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Aten-class Asteroids » 2016 KL1

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field (0.33 km diameter)
  • Will pass within 29,178,276 km of Earth in 2069
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2016 KL1 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2016 KL1 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2016 KL1 orbits the sun every 313 days (0.86 years), coming as close as 0.65 AU and reaching as far as 1.15 AU from the sun. 2016 KL1 is about 0.3 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2016 KL1's orbit is 0.02 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 KL1 has 15 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
May 21, 2069 29,178,276 9.662
May 27, 2075 23,494,438 9.726
May 29, 2081 18,643,149 9.911
June 1, 2087 14,305,256 10.170
June 1, 2093 9,927,995 10.515
June 2, 2099 7,436,883 10.777
June 3, 2105 9,012,208 10.620
June 2, 2111 13,408,408 10.235
May 31, 2117 17,967,521 9.942
May 28, 2123 22,649,666 9.753
May 24, 2129 27,637,014 9.657
June 1, 2178 29,700,829 16.011
June 2, 2184 23,041,412 14.872
June 3, 2190 18,416,223 14.091
June 3, 2196 16,008,119 13.686

Images and Observations

2016 KL1's orbit is determined by observations dating back to March 17, 2010. It was last officially observed on May 18, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 88 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 KL1:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 0.9016 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.2803
  • Inclination: 18.14°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 69.78°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 317.06°
  • Mean Anomaly: 86.66°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 0.32800 km
  • Magnitude: 21.09
  • Albedo: 0.034

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 313 days (0.86 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 31.34 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.15 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.65 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2016 KL1 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 KL1 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.