Key Facts
- Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
- Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
- Will pass within 19,708,372 km of Earth in 2025
- Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
- Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
- See orbit simulation
Overview
2016 NC1 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2016 NC1 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 NC1 orbits the sun every 329 days (0.90 years), coming as close as 0.81 AU and reaching as far as 1.06 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2016 NC1 is probably between 0.014 to 0.065 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.
Close Approaches
2016 NC1'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 NC1 has 23 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
|---|---|---|
| March 8, 2025 | 19,708,372 | 3.942 |
| June 17, 2025 | 12,259,252 | 4.130 |
| April 23, 2034 | 23,930,015 | 5.884 |
| Nov. 13, 2034 | 28,455,785 | 5.320 |
| Dec. 24, 2043 | 25,793,940 | 6.181 |
| July 20, 2044 | 24,408,295 | 8.237 |
| Jan. 27, 2053 | 22,060,291 | 5.527 |
| July 15, 2053 | 4,126,137 | 4.769 |
| Jan. 23, 2062 | 23,028,276 | 5.730 |
| July 18, 2062 | 6,818,412 | 5.171 |
| Dec. 24, 2070 | 26,612,616 | 6.324 |
| July 21, 2071 | 26,288,437 | 8.625 |
| April 26, 2079 | 27,205,327 | 6.924 |
| Nov. 19, 2079 | 28,946,125 | 5.689 |
| July 3, 2097 | 6,403,568 | 4.132 |
| Feb. 14, 2106 | 21,140,440 | 4.909 |
| July 6, 2106 | 5,380,006 | 4.166 |
| April 23, 2124 | 23,966,490 | 5.949 |
| July 21, 2134 | 25,479,494 | 8.439 |
| July 17, 2143 | 5,209,471 | 4.903 |
| July 16, 2152 | 4,840,028 | 4.844 |
| July 21, 2161 | 24,923,717 | 8.362 |
| April 26, 2169 | 26,658,408 | 6.862 |
Images and Observations
2016 NC1's orbit is determined by observations dating back to July 3, 2016. It was last officially observed on July 9, 2016. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 84 observations used to determine its orbit.
Accessibility and Exploration
2016 NC1 can be reached with a journey of 362 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 6.722 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 168,211 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.
See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2016 NC1.
Similar Objects
These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2016 NC1:References
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or view a random objectOrbital Elements
- Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
- Semi-major axis: 0.9333 AU
- Eccentricity: 0.1309
- Inclination: 7.21°
- Longitude of Ascending Node: 106.68°
- Argument of Periapsis: 332.91°
- Mean Anomaly: 201.32°
Physical Characteristics
- Diameter: ~0.040 km
- Magnitude: 25.4
Derived Characteristics
- Orbit Period: 329 days (0.90 years)
- Avg. Orbit Speed: 30.86 km/s
- Aphelion Distance: 1.06 AU
- Perihelion Distance: 0.81 AU
Map Comparison
Orbit Simulation
Sky Map
The position of 2016 NC1 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 NC1 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.
