202683 (2006 US216)

Very small Aten-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Aten-class Asteroids » 202683 (2006 US216)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
  • Will pass within 23,631,893 km of Earth in 2035
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

202683 (2006 US216) is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2006 US216 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2006 US216 orbits the sun every 186 days (0.51 years), coming as close as 0.28 AU and reaching as far as 1.00 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2006 US216 is probably between 0.294 to 0.658 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building.

Close Approaches

2006 US216'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.

2006 US216 has 43 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Dec. 18, 2035 23,631,893 16.085
Dec. 16, 2036 13,169,332 13.098
Dec. 11, 2037 8,217,913 11.037
Nov. 30, 2038 7,462,464 10.519
Nov. 21, 2039 6,972,498 11.495
Nov. 16, 2040 13,738,368 13.851
Nov. 17, 2041 25,139,909 16.912
Dec. 17, 2065 25,277,979 16.534
Dec. 17, 2066 14,520,719 13.519
Dec. 13, 2067 8,563,149 11.273
Dec. 2, 2068 7,694,179 10.492
Nov. 22, 2069 6,789,158 11.160
Nov. 17, 2070 11,738,361 13.241
Nov. 17, 2071 22,356,511 16.176
Dec. 17, 2096 26,543,476 16.862
Dec. 18, 2097 16,008,339 13.927
Dec. 14, 2098 9,262,427 11.628
Dec. 6, 2099 7,906,239 10.553
Nov. 26, 2100 7,005,923 10.804
Nov. 19, 2101 9,215,345 12.401
Nov. 18, 2102 17,924,818 14.975
Nov. 19, 2103 29,213,439 17.936
Dec. 18, 2128 26,136,901 16.771
Dec. 19, 2129 15,514,496 13.795
Dec. 15, 2130 9,009,512 11.500
Dec. 6, 2131 7,913,544 10.511
Nov. 25, 2132 7,025,801 10.877
Nov. 19, 2133 9,976,413 12.620
Nov. 18, 2134 19,217,578 15.312
Dec. 19, 2160 22,212,429 15.707
Dec. 18, 2161 12,719,228 12.936
Dec. 13, 2162 8,368,105 11.023
Dec. 3, 2163 7,845,015 10.487
Nov. 23, 2164 7,221,718 11.233
Nov. 19, 2165 12,025,124 13.233
Nov. 18, 2166 21,837,243 15.988
Dec. 19, 2192 23,645,268 16.085
Dec. 19, 2193 13,809,290 13.291
Dec. 15, 2194 8,616,389 11.225
Dec. 5, 2195 7,997,002 10.494
Nov. 24, 2196 7,272,841 11.147
Nov. 19, 2197 11,802,428 13.160
Nov. 19, 2198 21,854,964 15.974

Images and Observations

2006 US216's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 6, 2005. It was last officially observed on Jan. 7, 2017. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 89 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 2006 US216:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 0.6371 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5624
  • Inclination: 3.44°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 193.26°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 56.41°
  • Mean Anomaly: 202.1°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.380 km
  • Magnitude: 19.78

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 186 days (0.51 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 37.26 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.00 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.28 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 202683 (2006 US216) 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 2006 US216 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.