348776 (2006 KZ37)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 348776 (2006 KZ37)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
  • Will pass within 26,837,921 km of Earth in 2025
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

348776 (2006 KZ37) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2006 KZ37 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.

2006 KZ37 orbits the sun every 532 days (1.46 years), coming as close as 1.02 AU and reaching as far as 1.55 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2006 KZ37 is probably between 0.374 to 0.836 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 KZ37'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.

2006 KZ37 has 9 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
June 30, 2025 26,837,921 14.035
July 2, 2041 16,856,659 12.612
July 3, 2057 14,537,154 11.816
July 4, 2073 18,678,413 11.243
July 3, 2089 29,285,240 10.865
July 1, 2124 26,137,854 13.941
July 3, 2140 16,689,116 12.563
July 4, 2156 14,803,246 11.781
July 5, 2172 19,365,920 11.198

Images and Observations

2006 KZ37's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Dec. 10, 1993. It was last officially observed on Jan. 18, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 378 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 KZ37:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.285 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.2087
  • Inclination: 21.37°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 95.66°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 243.24°
  • Mean Anomaly: 241.12°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.482 km
  • Magnitude: 19.26

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 532 days (1.46 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 26.28 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.55 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.02 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 348776 (2006 KZ37) 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 KZ37 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.