2016 CZ31

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2016 CZ31

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 2,798,057 km of Earth in 2022
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2016 CZ31 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2016 CZ31 as a "Near Earth Asteroid" due to its orbit's proximity to Earth, but it is not considered potentially hazardous because computer simulations have not indicated any imminent likelihood of future collision.

2016 CZ31 orbits the sun every 630 days (1.72 years), coming as close as 0.74 AU and reaching as far as 2.14 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2016 CZ31 is probably between 0.103 to 0.231 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2016 CZ31'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 CZ31 has 13 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
July 29, 2022 2,798,057 15.451
Jan. 15, 2028 27,212,008 19.583
July 22, 2041 17,784,491 18.647
Jan. 9, 2047 15,433,806 15.810
Jan. 4, 2066 22,222,012 12.657
Aug. 8, 2091 17,582,078 12.786
July 30, 2110 2,162,898 15.643
Jan. 15, 2116 22,890,789 18.665
July 19, 2129 28,724,835 20.627
Jan. 7, 2135 18,196,195 13.630
Aug. 7, 2160 15,060,894 13.147
July 30, 2179 3,464,009 16.105
Jan. 13, 2185 16,473,794 16.967

Images and Observations

2016 CZ31's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Feb. 5, 2016. It was last officially observed on July 24, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 67 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 CZ31:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.439 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4883
  • Inclination: 14.58°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 309.54°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 76.05°
  • Mean Anomaly: 204.27°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.133 km
  • Magnitude: 22.05

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 630 days (1.72 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 24.85 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.14 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.74 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2016 CZ31 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 CZ31 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.