2016 XO23

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2016 XO23

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 14,524,903 km of Earth in 2020
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2016 XO23 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2016 XO23 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2016 XO23 orbits the sun every 1,110 days (3.04 years), coming as close as 0.79 AU and reaching as far as 3.40 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2016 XO23 is probably between 0.180 to 0.402 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2016 XO23'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 XO23 has 12 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Jan. 26, 2020 14,524,903 12.658
May 8, 2026 15,613,581 12.328
June 1, 2029 20,476,973 19.098
Jan. 15, 2102 13,652,315 16.485
Feb. 23, 2105 27,155,237 11.921
April 20, 2108 24,645,573 11.834
May 30, 2111 12,454,955 17.249
Jan. 10, 2169 18,392,950 18.254
Jan. 28, 2172 17,029,783 12.792
April 17, 2178 29,153,876 12.547
May 16, 2181 14,097,863 13.026
June 1, 2184 9,860,357 17.267

Images and Observations

2016 XO23's orbit is determined by observations dating back to July 25, 2011. It was last officially observed on June 19, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 165 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 XO23:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.099 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.6221
  • Inclination: 4.37°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 237.33°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 299.83°
  • Mean Anomaly: 57.46°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.232 km
  • Magnitude: 20.85

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,110 days (3.04 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 20.57 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.40 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.79 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2016 XO23 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 XO23 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.