2016 KR3

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2016 KR3

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 7,180,199 km of Earth in 2019
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2016 KR3 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2016 KR3 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2016 KR3 orbits the sun every 543 days (1.49 years), coming as close as 0.63 AU and reaching as far as 1.98 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2016 KR3 is probably between 0.169 to 0.378 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2016 KR3'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 KR3 has 16 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
April 23, 2019 7,180,199 20.611
April 15, 2022 19,162,106 17.003
Oct. 29, 2039 29,360,690 15.728
Oct. 20, 2042 6,212,003 19.180
Oct. 12, 2045 19,740,945 22.917
April 26, 2074 15,380,941 22.085
April 18, 2077 9,328,238 18.504
Oct. 25, 2097 20,899,941 16.829
Oct. 18, 2100 5,643,674 20.346
Oct. 10, 2103 29,141,702 24.561
April 27, 2129 14,671,659 21.950
April 18, 2132 11,948,985 18.127
Oct. 22, 2152 9,839,491 18.445
Oct. 15, 2155 15,746,164 22.252
April 26, 2184 12,482,226 21.540
April 18, 2187 13,027,481 17.989

Images and Observations

2016 KR3's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 28, 2016. It was last officially observed on June 7, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 253 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 KR3:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.302 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5193
  • Inclination: 24.23°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 208.25°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 269.3°
  • Mean Anomaly: 18.48°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.219 km
  • Magnitude: 20.98

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 543 days (1.49 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 26.09 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.98 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.63 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2016 KR3 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 KR3 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.