2016 LC9 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2016 LC9 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 LC9 orbits the sun every 332 days (0.91 years), coming as close as 0.82 AU and reaching as far as 1.05 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2016 LC9 is probably between 0.007 to 0.031 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.
2016 LC9's orbit is 0.01 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.
2016 LC9 has 12 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
|---|---|---|
| June 22, 2026 | 9,447,976 | 3.426 |
| Oct. 17, 2026 | 16,990,905 | 3.613 |
| Feb. 8, 2036 | 26,063,719 | 4.497 |
| Aug. 30, 2036 | 21,419,829 | 5.552 |
| May 28, 2045 | 20,532,300 | 7.218 |
| Dec. 19, 2045 | 23,658,843 | 5.356 |
| June 5, 2055 | 3,335,698 | 3.611 |
| Nov. 1, 2055 | 18,759,684 | 4.190 |
| May 27, 2064 | 24,666,876 | 7.993 |
| Dec. 22, 2064 | 24,510,604 | 5.465 |
| Aug. 27, 2074 | 19,049,465 | 4.803 |
| Oct. 25, 2092 | 19,685,973 | 4.111 |
2016 LC9's orbit is determined by observations dating back to June 6, 2016. It was last officially observed on June 10, 2016. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 31 observations used to determine its orbit.
2016 LC9 can be reached with a journey of 362 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 6.295 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 330,048 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.
See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2016 LC9.
The position of 2016 LC9 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.