539063 (2016 MK1)

Small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 539063 (2016 MK1)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 21,581,314 km of Earth in 2050
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

539063 (2016 MK1) is a small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2016 MK1 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2016 MK1 orbits the sun every 671 days (1.84 years), coming as close as 0.43 AU and reaching as far as 2.58 AU from the sun. Its orbit is highly elliptical. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2016 MK1 is probably between 0.399 to 0.891 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than ~97% of asteroids but small compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge.

Close Approaches

2016 MK1'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.

2016 MK1 has 12 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
March 5, 2050 21,581,314 19.559
Aug. 1, 2053 21,920,315 23.270
March 12, 2061 4,252,389 24.197
July 28, 2099 24,895,258 26.005
March 11, 2107 7,278,683 22.372
Aug. 8, 2110 26,986,502 20.406
March 19, 2118 18,146,418 27.226
March 6, 2164 24,459,507 18.984
Aug. 2, 2167 20,954,437 23.825
March 14, 2175 2,418,209 23.485
Aug. 10, 2178 29,065,112 19.730
March 19, 2186 16,975,583 27.013

Images and Observations

2016 MK1's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 5, 2004. It was last officially observed on May 10, 2021. 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 2016 MK1:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.501 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.716
  • Inclination: 10.78°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 178.31°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 240.68°
  • Mean Anomaly: 240.33°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.515 km
  • Magnitude: 19.12

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 671 days (1.84 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 24.34 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.58 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.43 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 539063 (2016 MK1) 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 2016 MK1 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.