2021 PQ6

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2021 PQ6

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 15,843,076 km of Earth in 2020
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2021 PQ6 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2021 PQ6 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.

2021 PQ6 orbits the sun every 386 days (1.06 years), coming as close as 0.66 AU and reaching as far as 1.42 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2021 PQ6 is probably between 0.045 to 0.200 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2021 PQ6's orbit is 0.04 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.

2021 PQ6 has 21 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Sept. 12, 2020 15,843,076 13.600
April 17, 2025 8,555,734 10.559
Sept. 16, 2039 7,021,355 11.280
April 21, 2044 14,940,950 13.139
Sept. 17, 2058 7,052,904 10.188
April 22, 2063 17,281,216 13.680
Sept. 16, 2077 6,632,369 10.923
April 21, 2082 13,630,611 12.798
Sept. 15, 2096 7,344,677 11.370
April 21, 2101 11,252,640 12.158
Sept. 16, 2115 9,756,984 12.152
April 20, 2120 10,032,451 11.790
Sept. 19, 2134 7,178,799 10.172
April 25, 2139 22,141,353 14.780
Sept. 20, 2153 16,614,527 7.785
April 16, 2157 22,177,029 6.746
Sept. 11, 2171 28,238,197 16.164
Sept. 16, 2172 24,894,962 6.555
April 16, 2176 13,613,639 8.583
Sept. 15, 2190 13,354,767 13.022
April 21, 2195 9,175,694 11.489

Images and Observations

2021 PQ6's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Aug. 26, 2020. It was last officially observed on July 5, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 55 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2021 PQ6 can be reached with a journey of 450 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 10.512 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 1,203 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2021 PQ6.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2021 PQ6:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.037 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.367
  • Inclination: 3.29°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 305.78°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 155.43°
  • Mean Anomaly: 239.82°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.123 km
  • Magnitude: 22.95

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 386 days (1.06 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 29.23 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.42 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.66 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2021 PQ6 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 2021 PQ6 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.