Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Amor-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field (0.22 km diameter)
  • Will pass within 9,386,045 km of Earth in 2049
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

481327 (2006 BB27) is a very small asteroid whose orbit approaches the orbit of Earth but does not cross it. NASA JPL has classified 2006 BB27 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2006 BB27 orbits the sun every 581 days (1.59 years), coming as close as 1.03 AU and reaching as far as 1.70 AU from the sun. 2006 BB27 is about 0.2 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2006 BB27's orbit is 0.05 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 BB27 has 5 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Aug. 1, 2049 9,386,045 14.764
Aug. 5, 2076 10,865,239 15.461
Aug. 1, 2111 15,558,343 14.543
Aug. 5, 2138 8,355,614 15.213
July 31, 2173 16,968,163 14.526

Images and Observations

2006 BB27's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Jan. 7, 2006. It was last officially observed on Sept. 1, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 137 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 BB27:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.362 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.2456
  • Inclination: 27.16°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 132.18°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 144.65°
  • Mean Anomaly: 278.86°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 0.21600 km
  • Magnitude: 19.98
  • Albedo: 0.378

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 581 days (1.59 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 25.50 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.70 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.03 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 481327 (2006 BB27) 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 BB27 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.