66272 (1999 JW6)

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Amor-class Asteroid
• Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge (0.81 km diameter)
• Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

66272 (1999 JW6) is a small asteroid whose orbit approaches the orbit of Earth but does not cross it. NASA JPL has classified 1999 JW6 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.

1999 JW6 orbits the sun every 676 days (1.85 years), coming as close as 1.29 AU and reaching as far as 1.72 AU from the sun. 1999 JW6 is about 0.8 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than ~97% of asteroids but small compared to large asteroids, comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge.

The rotation of 1999 JW6 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 502.00 hours.

No Close Approaches

1999 JW6's orbit is 0.41 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

1999 JW6's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 13, 1999. It was last officially observed on July 9, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 1,016 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 1999 JW6:

• 3838 Epona (1986 WA)
• 8566 (1996 EN)
• 68267 (2001 EA16)

References

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

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 66272 (1999 JW6) 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 1999 JW6 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.