419624 (2010 SO16)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 419624 (2010 SO16)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building (0.36 km diameter)
  • Will pass within 28,346,667 km of Earth in 2179
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

419624 (2010 SO16) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2010 SO16 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2010 SO16 orbits the sun every 367 days (1.00 years), coming as close as 0.93 AU and reaching as far as 1.08 AU from the sun. 2010 SO16 is about 0.4 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building.

Close Approaches

2010 SO16's orbit is 0.03 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.

2010 SO16 has 12 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Nov. 6, 2179 28,346,667 10.435
Nov. 6, 2180 25,479,052 10.051
Nov. 6, 2181 23,109,745 9.739
Nov. 6, 2182 21,266,348 9.494
Nov. 7, 2183 19,997,929 9.355
Nov. 6, 2184 19,334,860 9.267
Nov. 6, 2185 19,317,152 9.264
Nov. 6, 2186 19,907,901 9.349
Nov. 6, 2187 21,095,091 9.483
Nov. 6, 2188 22,889,791 9.722
Nov. 6, 2189 25,241,079 10.038
Nov. 6, 2190 28,057,344 10.416

Images and Observations

2010 SO16's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Aug. 17, 2010. It was last officially observed on Nov. 14, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 350 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 2010 SO16:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.004 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0754
  • Inclination: 14.52°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 40.35°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 109.21°
  • Mean Anomaly: 170.54°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 0.35700 km
  • Magnitude: 20.44
  • Albedo: 0.084

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 367 days (1.00 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 29.76 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.08 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.93 AU

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

⧉

Sky Map

The position of 419624 (2010 SO16) 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 2010 SO16 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.