216115 (2006 SU19)

Small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 216115 (2006 SU19)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 24,104,987 km of Earth in 2024
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

216115 (2006 SU19) is a small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2006 SU19 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2006 SU19 orbits the sun every 689 days (1.89 years), coming as close as 0.63 AU and reaching as far as 2.42 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2006 SU19 is probably between 0.425 to 0.951 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than ~97% of asteroids but small compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge.

Close Approaches

2006 SU19'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 SU19 has 17 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
June 13, 2024 24,104,987 21.825
Dec. 12, 2027 12,756,677 14.870
June 14, 2041 26,241,530 22.260
Dec. 23, 2044 28,647,694 11.831
May 27, 2060 19,047,020 13.633
Dec. 1, 2063 18,828,062 20.869
June 13, 2077 22,215,864 21.438
Dec. 19, 2080 23,464,247 12.686
May 26, 2113 22,339,747 13.005
Nov. 28, 2116 27,937,654 22.792
June 3, 2130 9,800,404 15.601
Dec. 3, 2133 16,955,335 20.452
May 28, 2147 20,246,598 13.393
June 17, 2179 27,555,639 22.490
Dec. 14, 2182 12,506,527 14.926
June 7, 2196 5,980,127 17.663
Dec. 8, 2199 6,787,248 18.085

Images and Observations

2006 SU19's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 18, 2006. It was last officially observed on Oct. 6, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 207 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 SU19:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.527 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5865
  • Inclination: 2.09°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 152.25°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 10.6°
  • Mean Anomaly: 243.97°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.549 km
  • Magnitude: 18.98

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 689 days (1.89 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 24.11 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.42 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.63 AU

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

⧉

Sky Map

The position of 216115 (2006 SU19) 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 above comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 2006 SU19 to create an approximate landscape rendering with Mount Everest in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.