C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake)

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Unclassified Comet
• Comparable in size to the island of Manhattan (4.20 km diameter)
• Not a Near Earth Object
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) is a mid-sized comet whose orbit does not match any defined comet orbit class. NASA JPL has not classified Hyakutake as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

Hyakutake orbits the sun every 35,800,000 days (98,015.06 years), coming as close as 0.21 AU and reaching as far as 4249.79 AU from the sun. Its orbit is highly elliptical. Hyakutake is about 4.2 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the island of Manhattan.

No Close Approaches

Hyakutake's orbit is 0.10 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.

Orbital simulations conducted by NASA JPL's CNEOS do not show any close approaches to Earth.

Images and Observations

Hyakutake's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Jan. 1, 1996. It was last officially observed on Nov. 2, 1996. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 977 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

This comet is not considered a viable target for human exploration by the NHATS study.

References

• JPL Small Body Database
• Mission Design
• Sky Finder Chart

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake) 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 above comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of Hyakutake to create an approximate landscape rendering with Mount Everest in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.