2016 UZ25

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2016 UZ25

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a basketball court (0.14 km diameter)
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2016 UZ25 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2016 UZ25 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2016 UZ25 orbits the sun every 1,440 days (3.94 years), coming as close as 0.52 AU and reaching as far as 4.48 AU from the sun. Its orbit is highly elliptical. 2016 UZ25 is about 0.1 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, comparable in size to a basketball court.

No Close Approaches

2016 UZ25'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.

Orbital simulations conducted by NASA JPL's CNEOS do not show any close approaches to Earth.

Images and Observations

2016 UZ25's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 7, 2016. It was last officially observed on Nov. 16, 2016. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 186 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 UZ25:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.497 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.7929
  • Inclination: 3.82°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 32.33°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 114.58°
  • Mean Anomaly: 252.62°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 0.14300 km
  • Magnitude: 21.6
  • Albedo: 0.197

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,440 days (3.94 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 18.86 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 4.48 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.52 AU

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

⧉

Sky Map

The position of 2016 UZ25 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 UZ25 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.