2021 GL16 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2021 GL16 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.
2021 GL16 orbits the sun every 360 days (0.99 years), coming as close as 0.80 AU and reaching as far as 1.18 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2021 GL16 is probably between 0.010 to 0.043 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.
2021 GL16's orbit is 0.00 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is very close to Earth's orbit.
2021 GL16 has 26 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
|---|---|---|
| Jan. 12, 2019 | 26,047,785 | 5.389 |
| June 11, 2019 | 29,337,728 | 4.662 |
| Feb. 28, 2020 | 19,883,834 | 3.904 |
| May 1, 2020 | 20,010,852 | 3.664 |
| April 9, 2021 | 368,784 | 5.788 |
| April 15, 2022 | 13,440,351 | 3.679 |
| Feb. 11, 2023 | 24,370,671 | 4.577 |
| May 20, 2023 | 22,642,913 | 4.266 |
| Jan. 15, 2024 | 28,235,342 | 5.656 |
| June 13, 2024 | 26,692,007 | 4.606 |
| Dec. 22, 2024 | 28,949,264 | 6.014 |
| July 7, 2025 | 27,079,565 | 4.503 |
| Nov. 29, 2025 | 27,042,665 | 5.723 |
| Aug. 4, 2026 | 23,590,877 | 3.889 |
| Nov. 3, 2026 | 22,154,759 | 4.776 |
| Sept. 27, 2027 | 12,928,529 | 3.868 |
| Sept. 15, 2028 | 5,865,813 | 5.883 |
| Sept. 10, 2029 | 16,245,509 | 8.468 |
| April 12, 2084 | 17,136,314 | 8.928 |
| April 9, 2085 | 4,256,451 | 6.493 |
| April 8, 2086 | 5,392,548 | 4.766 |
| April 14, 2149 | 20,765,422 | 9.576 |
| April 11, 2150 | 5,784,040 | 6.725 |
| April 9, 2151 | 6,888,689 | 4.477 |
| March 2, 2152 | 20,824,818 | 3.665 |
| May 6, 2152 | 19,273,844 | 3.913 |
NASA Sentry has assessed impact risk for 1 very close approach scenarios. Here are the top scenarios ordered by probability of impact:
| Date | Probability of Impact (%) | Impact Energy (Mt) |
|---|---|---|
| April 9, 2111 | 0.00001 | 0.168 |
2021 GL16's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 11, 2021. It was last officially observed on April 30, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 17 observations used to determine its orbit.
2021 GL16 can be reached with a journey of 370 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 5.449 km/s. To put this into perspective, the delta-v to launch a rocket to Low-Earth Orbit is 9.7 km/s. There are 921,440 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.
See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2021 GL16.
The position of 2021 GL16 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.