8566 (1996 EN)

Mid-sized Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
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Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to Mount Everest (1.57 km diameter)
  • Will pass within 4,534,725 km of Earth in 2033
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

8566 (1996 EN) is a mid-sized asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 1996 EN as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

1996 EN orbits the sun every 675 days (1.85 years), coming as close as 0.86 AU and reaching as far as 2.15 AU from the sun. 1996 EN is about 1.6 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to Mount Everest.

The rotation of 1996 EN has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 4.85 hours.

Close Approaches

1996 EN'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.

1996 EN has 6 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Sept. 8, 2033 4,534,725 23.362
Sept. 8, 2070 3,760,989 23.258
Sept. 16, 2107 21,864,691 25.210
Sept. 3, 2120 14,453,019 22.002
Sept. 11, 2157 8,720,219 23.812
Aug. 31, 2170 23,869,333 21.444

Images and Observations

1996 EN's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 6, 1983. It was last officially observed on Dec. 20, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 3,357 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 1996 EN:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.506 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4303
  • Inclination: 37.98°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 164.12°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 125.13°
  • Mean Anomaly: 236.86°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 1.56800 km
  • Magnitude: 16.48
  • Albedo: 0.217
  • Spectral type (SMASS): U

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 675 days (1.85 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 24.27 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.15 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.86 AU
  • Rotation Period: 4.85 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 8566 (1996 EN) 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 1996 EN 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.