242643 (2005 NZ6)

Mid-sized Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 242643 (2005 NZ6)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to Mount Everest (1.99 km diameter)
  • Will pass within 24,097,970 km of Earth in 2082
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

242643 (2005 NZ6) is a mid-sized asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2005 NZ6 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2005 NZ6 orbits the sun every 907 days (2.48 years), coming as close as 0.25 AU and reaching as far as 3.42 AU from the sun. Its orbit is highly elliptical. 2005 NZ6 is about 2.0 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to Mount Everest.

The rotation of 2005 NZ6 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 7.00 hours.

Close Approaches

2005 NZ6'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.

2005 NZ6 has 8 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Aug. 16, 2082 24,097,970 28.378
April 30, 2085 11,111,356 33.039
Aug. 6, 2087 29,166,378 34.884
April 21, 2090 22,859,751 26.440
Aug. 19, 2149 25,941,919 27.458
May 3, 2152 18,833,081 34.472
Aug. 10, 2154 23,253,753 33.308
April 25, 2157 10,944,122 28.653

Images and Observations

2005 NZ6's orbit is determined by observations dating back to July 3, 2005. It was last officially observed on June 19, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 736 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 2005 NZ6:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.834 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.8651
  • Inclination: 8.42°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 38.8°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 48.95°
  • Mean Anomaly: 78.77°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 1.98900 km
  • Magnitude: 17.39
  • Albedo: 0.041

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 907 days (2.48 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 22.00 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.42 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.25 AU
  • Rotation Period: 7.00 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 242643 (2005 NZ6) 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 2005 NZ6 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.