274138 (2008 FU6)

Small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 274138 (2008 FU6)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge (0.75 km diameter)
  • Will pass within 24,878,015 km of Earth in 2026
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

274138 (2008 FU6) is a small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2008 FU6 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.

2008 FU6 orbits the sun every 556 days (1.52 years), coming as close as 0.57 AU and reaching as far as 2.08 AU from the sun. 2008 FU6 is about 0.7 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 2008 FU6 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 2.85 hours.

Close Approaches

2008 FU6's orbit is 0.10 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.

2008 FU6 has 12 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Nov. 14, 2026 24,878,015 17.376
April 22, 2040 24,551,317 22.584
May 5, 2043 28,746,070 14.445
Nov. 16, 2058 24,041,523 18.025
April 21, 2072 28,523,348 23.510
May 3, 2075 23,539,965 15.622
April 29, 2107 15,740,002 19.182
Nov. 21, 2125 24,237,548 19.608
April 29, 2139 16,780,201 19.932
Nov. 25, 2157 27,337,272 21.327
April 27, 2171 19,513,412 21.010
Nov. 14, 2189 26,708,164 16.824

Images and Observations

2008 FU6's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Jan. 14, 2003. It was last officially observed on May 4, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 1,002 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 2008 FU6:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.324 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.569
  • Inclination: 12.83°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 192.83°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 129.14°
  • Mean Anomaly: 1.17°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 0.74700 km
  • Magnitude: 17.82
  • Albedo: 0.240

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 556 days (1.52 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 25.91 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.08 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.57 AU
  • Rotation Period: 2.85 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 274138 (2008 FU6) 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 2008 FU6 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.