2016 RN20 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2016 RN20 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 RN20 orbits the sun every 407 days (1.11 years), coming as close as 1.00 AU and reaching as far as 1.15 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2016 RN20 is probably between 0.004 to 0.018 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.
2016 RN20'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 RN20 has 4 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
|---|---|---|
| May 18, 2026 | 24,372,121 | 2.780 |
| Nov. 4, 2026 | 28,719,375 | 6.348 |
| March 15, 2036 | 22,325,485 | 3.935 |
| Sept. 3, 2045 | 5,585,839 | 3.619 |
2016 RN20's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 9, 2016. It was last officially observed on Sept. 10, 2016. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 19 observations used to determine its orbit.
2016 RN20 can be reached with a journey of 362 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 5.668 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 499,263 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.
See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2016 RN20.
The position of 2016 RN20 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.