2022 KW6

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Amor-class Asteroid
• Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
• Will pass within 17,618,626 km of Earth in 2022
• Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

2022 KW6 is a very small asteroid whose orbit approaches the orbit of Earth but does not cross it. NASA JPL has classified 2022 KW6 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.

2022 KW6 orbits the sun every 480 days (1.31 years), coming as close as 1.09 AU and reaching as far as 1.31 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2022 KW6 is probably between 0.018 to 0.080 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2022 KW6's orbit is 0.11 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.

2022 KW6 has 2 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Images and Observations

2022 KW6's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 30, 2022. It was last officially observed on July 1, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 48 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2022 KW6 can be reached with a journey of 378 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 8.602 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 41,322 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2022 KW6.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2022 KW6:

• 3361 Orpheus (1982 HR)
• 17511 (1992 QN)
• 66407 (1999 LQ28)

References

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

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2022 KW6 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 2022 KW6 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.