68216 (2001 CV26)

Small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 68216 (2001 CV26)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge (0.99 km diameter)
  • Will pass within 3,719,426 km of Earth in 2056
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

68216 (2001 CV26) is a small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2001 CV26 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2001 CV26 orbits the sun every 554 days (1.52 years), coming as close as 0.89 AU and reaching as far as 1.75 AU from the sun. 2001 CV26 is about 1.0 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 2001 CV26 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 2.43 hours.

Close Approaches

2001 CV26'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.

2001 CV26 has 7 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Oct. 8, 2056 3,719,426 12.328
Oct. 28, 2059 23,966,893 10.729
Oct. 8, 2106 5,555,261 12.680
Oct. 23, 2109 18,620,854 10.846
Sept. 29, 2159 23,234,919 15.175
Oct. 11, 2162 3,384,452 12.122
Oct. 29, 2165 24,817,403 10.686

Images and Observations

2001 CV26's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Feb. 1, 2001. It was last officially observed on May 26, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 2,505 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 2001 CV26:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.32 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.3266
  • Inclination: 17.99°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 18.14°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 48.72°
  • Mean Anomaly: 41.83°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 0.99400 km
  • Magnitude: 16.63
  • Albedo: 0.449

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 554 days (1.52 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 25.92 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.75 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.89 AU
  • Rotation Period: 2.43 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 68216 (2001 CV26) 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 2001 CV26 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.