2016 XA2

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
• Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
• Will pass within 25,721,153 km of Earth in 2019
• Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
• Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
• See orbit simulation

Overview

2016 XA2 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2016 XA2 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2016 XA2 orbits the sun every 1,080 days (2.96 years), coming as close as 0.51 AU and reaching as far as 3.60 AU from the sun. Its orbit is highly elliptical. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2016 XA2 is probably between 0.127 to 0.284 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2016 XA2's orbit is 0.00 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.

2016 XA2 has 1 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Images and Observations

2016 XA2's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Dec. 4, 2016. It was last officially observed on Dec. 22, 2016. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 87 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 XA2:

• 54420 (2000 LT20)
• 79512 (1998 KE3)
• 142348 (2002 RX211)

References

• JPL Small Body Database
• Mission Design
• Sky Finder Chart

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2016 XA2 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.