434734 (2006 FX)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 434734 (2006 FX)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
  • Will pass within 2,224,497 km of Earth in 2059
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

434734 (2006 FX) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2006 FX as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2006 FX orbits the sun every 668 days (1.83 years), coming as close as 0.84 AU and reaching as far as 2.15 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2006 FX is probably between 0.263 to 0.589 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 FX's orbit is 0.00 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.

2006 FX has 7 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
March 23, 2059 2,224,497 17.170
March 24, 2070 5,731,034 17.593
March 31, 2081 24,510,003 20.133
March 11, 2138 26,547,164 14.533
March 19, 2149 9,129,394 15.933
March 23, 2160 1,684,412 17.095
March 26, 2195 6,312,346 17.655

Images and Observations

2006 FX's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 24, 2005. It was last officially observed on May 26, 2017. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 195 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 FX:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.495 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4381
  • Inclination: 24.64°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 181.16°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 299.5°
  • Mean Anomaly: 227.49°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.340 km
  • Magnitude: 20.02

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 668 days (1.83 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 24.35 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.15 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.84 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 434734 (2006 FX) 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 FX 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.