2016 XB2

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2016 XB2

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a basketball court
  • Will pass within 28,009,802 km of Earth in 2025
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2016 XB2 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2016 XB2 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 XB2 orbits the sun every 459 days (1.26 years), coming as close as 0.58 AU and reaching as far as 1.74 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2016 XB2 is probably between 0.131 to 0.292 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a basketball court.

Close Approaches

2016 XB2's orbit is 0.12 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 XB2 has 15 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
March 31, 2025 28,009,802 17.798
Oct. 29, 2026 26,227,265 13.142
Nov. 2, 2031 18,193,310 17.110
April 6, 2079 27,737,833 15.286
Oct. 31, 2080 18,674,999 15.584
Nov. 5, 2085 23,595,562 19.636
March 31, 2128 28,704,553 18.408
Oct. 31, 2129 28,717,719 12.565
April 9, 2133 28,452,450 14.768
Nov. 3, 2134 17,909,253 16.043
Nov. 8, 2139 24,306,588 19.900
March 30, 2182 29,916,244 19.080
April 8, 2187 27,611,652 15.242
Nov. 2, 2188 18,362,737 15.574
Nov. 7, 2193 22,312,594 19.362

Images and Observations

2016 XB2's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 10, 2011. It was last officially observed on Dec. 9, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 96 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 XB2:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.164 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4985
  • Inclination: 11.82°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 253.25°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 38.76°
  • Mean Anomaly: 234.46°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.169 km
  • Magnitude: 21.54

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 459 days (1.26 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 27.59 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.74 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.58 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2016 XB2 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 XB2 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.