355046 (2006 SO19)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 355046 (2006 SO19)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
  • Will pass within 23,174,197 km of Earth in 2024
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

355046 (2006 SO19) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2006 SO19 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 SO19 orbits the sun every 506 days (1.39 years), coming as close as 0.90 AU and reaching as far as 1.58 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2006 SO19 is probably between 0.318 to 0.711 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 SO19's orbit is 0.11 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 SO19 has 11 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
July 31, 2024 23,174,197 10.940
Aug. 5, 2042 25,662,955 11.311
May 20, 2049 27,813,551 10.275
May 30, 2067 24,613,052 10.113
June 7, 2085 21,634,754 10.024
June 13, 2103 20,300,781 9.992
June 11, 2121 20,766,787 10.002
June 4, 2139 23,163,475 10.068
May 23, 2157 27,301,596 10.276
Aug. 2, 2168 23,743,924 10.949
July 19, 2186 17,829,088 10.199

Images and Observations

2006 SO19's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Dec. 8, 2002. It was last officially observed on Jan. 3, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 123 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 SO19:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.242 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.272
  • Inclination: 14.25°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 98.31°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 169.77°
  • Mean Anomaly: 150.72°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.411 km
  • Magnitude: 19.61

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 506 days (1.39 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 26.70 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.58 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.90 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 355046 (2006 SO19) 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 SO19 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.