250706 (2005 RR6)

Small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 250706 (2005 RR6)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge (0.54 km diameter)
  • Will pass within 29,186,698 km of Earth in 2057
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

250706 (2005 RR6) is a small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2005 RR6 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2005 RR6 orbits the sun every 1,860 days (5.09 years), coming as close as 0.89 AU and reaching as far as 5.03 AU from the sun. Its orbit is highly elliptical. 2005 RR6 is about 0.5 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than ~97% of asteroids but small compared to large asteroids, comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge.

The rotation of 2005 RR6 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 7.00 hours.

Close Approaches

2005 RR6's orbit is 0.03 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.

2005 RR6 has 2 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Feb. 12, 2057 29,186,698 17.548
Jan. 28, 2093 15,136,801 12.418

Images and Observations

2005 RR6's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 4, 2005. It was last officially observed on Feb. 11, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 399 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 RR6:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.958 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.7007
  • Inclination: 6.93°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 27.3°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 59.92°
  • Mean Anomaly: 180.82°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 0.53500 km
  • Magnitude: 18.55
  • Albedo: 0.322

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,860 days (5.09 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 17.30 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 5.03 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.89 AU
  • Rotation Period: 7.00 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 250706 (2005 RR6) 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 2005 RR6 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.