496013 (2008 EL6)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 496013 (2008 EL6)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 3,676,742 km of Earth in 2033
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

496013 (2008 EL6) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2008 EL6 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2008 EL6 orbits the sun every 830 days (2.27 years), coming as close as 0.90 AU and reaching as far as 2.56 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2008 EL6 is probably between 0.168 to 0.375 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2008 EL6's orbit is 0.02 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 EL6 has 7 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
March 16, 2033 3,676,742 12.288
April 17, 2058 24,438,909 10.693
Feb. 28, 2074 26,484,724 16.982
March 17, 2099 4,140,032 12.181
April 28, 2140 27,902,269 10.636
March 14, 2156 2,966,747 12.885
April 6, 2181 18,873,414 10.695

Images and Observations

2008 EL6's orbit is determined by observations dating back to March 5, 2008. It was last officially observed on July 27, 2017. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 82 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 EL6:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.728 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.481
  • Inclination: 13.14°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 177.66°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 38.42°
  • Mean Anomaly: 280.26°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.217 km
  • Magnitude: 21.0

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 830 days (2.27 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 22.65 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.56 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.90 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 496013 (2008 EL6) 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 2008 EL6 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.