List of asteroid close approaches to Earth in 2016

Asteroids which came closer to Earth than the Moon in 2016 by time of discovery Below is the list of asteroid close approaches to Earth in 2016.

Timeline of known close approaches less than one Lunar distance from Earth in 2016 A list of known near-Earth asteroid close approaches less than 1 lunar distance () from Earth in 2016, based on the close approach database of the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS).

For reference, the radius of Earth is approximately or 0.0166 Lunar distances.The orbit of geosynchronous satellites, however, is or 0.110 Lunar distances. This year, 6 (possibly 7) asteroids traveled nearer than this, most notably , which approached a mere 1.25 Earth radii (8000 km) from the surface.

The CNEOS database of close approaches lists some close approaches a full orbit or more before the discovery of the object, derived by orbit calculation. The list below only includes close approaches that are evidenced by observations, thus the pre-discovery close approaches would only be included if the object was found by precovery, but there was no such close approach in 2016.

This list and relevant databases do not consider impacts as close approaches, thus this list does not include any of the 32 objects that collided with Earth's atmosphere in 2016, none of which were discovered in advance, but were observed visually or recorded by sensors designed to detect detonation of nuclear devices.NASA.gov

Date ofclosestapproach Datediscovered Object Nominal geocentricdistance (AU)Distance from the center of Earth to the center of the object. See the NASA/JPL Solar System Dynamics Glossary: Geocentric. Earth has a radius of approximately 6,400 km. Nominal geocentricdistance (LD)Size (m)(approximate) (H) Closerapproachto Moon 2016-01-10 2016-01-12 0.27 2.9–6.5 29.8 2016-01-12 2016-01-13 0.07 3.1–6.8 29.7 2016-01-13 2016-01-14 0.47 7.7–17 27.7 2016-01-14 2016-01-14 0.10 2.2–4.9 30.4 2016-02-06 2016-02-03 0.39 5.3–12 28.5 2016-02-10 2016-02-11 0.55 2.9–6.5 29.8 2016-02-13 2016-02-12 0.20 7.7–17 27.7 2016-02-15 2016-02-16 2016 DB 0.32 5.3–12 28.5 2016-02-25 2016-02-26 0.04 2.1–4.7 30.5 2016-02-26 2016-02-27 0.83 4.4–9.9 28.9 2016-02-29 2016-02-28 0.52 2.8–6.2 29.9 Yes 2016-03-03 2016-03-02 0.53 4–9 29.1 Yes 2016-03-04 2016-03-03 0.60 7.3–16 27.8 2016-03-08 2016-03-07 0.40 5.4–15 28.5 2016-03-10 2016-03-11 0.84 6.7–15 28.0 2016-03-11 2016-03-15 0.08 21–47 25.5 2016-03-14 2016-03-16 0.44 4–9 29.1 2016-03-23 2016-03-30 0.98 5.8–13 28.3 Yes 2016-03-25 2016-03-27 0.47 4.4–9.9 28.9 2016-03-28 2016-03-31 0.70 4.6–10 28.8 Yes 2016-04-01 2016-04-05 0.52 7.7–17 27.7 2016-04-04 2016-04-05 0.15 2.3–5.1 30.3 2016-04-05 2016-03-30 0.82 3.3–7.5 29.5 2016-04-06 2016-04-09 0.86 15–33 26.3 2016-04-08 2016-04-06 0.86 8–18 27.6 2016-05-05 2016-05-03 0.53 1.9–4.3 30.7 2016-06-04 2016-06-10 0.91 8.8–20 27.4 Yes 2016-06-07 2016-06-04 0.38 4.2–9.4 29.0 2016-06-09 2016-06-08 0.19 3.7–8.2 29.3 2016-07-07 2016-07-09 0.74 5.6–12 28.4 2016-07-11 2016-07-09 0.69 4.2–9.4 29.0 2016-08-28 2016-08-27 0.23 25–57 25.1 2016-09-02 2016-09-04 0.34 6.7–15 28.0 2016-09-03 2016-09-04 0.50 3.8–8.6 29.2 2016-09-07 2016-09-05 0.11 5.8–13 28.3 2016-09-11 2016-09-11 0.06 1.7–3.7 31.0 2016-09-21 2016-09-22 2016 SJ 0.39 4.2–9.4 29.0 2016-09-24 2016-09-26 0.91 8–18 27.6 2016-09-25 2016-09-26 0.80 6.3–14 28.1 2016-09-30 2016-10-01 2016 TD 0.59 6.4–14 28.1 2016-10-03 2016-10-02 2016 TH 0.33 3.5–7.8 29.4 2016-10-08 2016-10-09 0.56 3.1–7 29.7 2016-10-10 2016-10-11 0.20 7.3–16 27.8 2016-10-11 2016-10-09 0.82 4–9 29.1 2016-10-17 2016-10-19 2016 UD 0.19 13–28 26.6 2016-11-02 2016-11-01 2016 VA 0.25 8–18 27.6 2016-11-07 2016-11-05 0.70 5.1–11 28.6 2016-11-10 2016-11-11 0.18 2.8–6.3 29.9 2016-11-17 2016-11-18 2016 WT 0.50 2.9–6.5 29.8 2016-11-21 2016-11-23 0.95 5.1–11 28.6 2016-11-25 2016-11-24 0.35 5.1–9.2 29.0 2016-11-30 2016-12-01 0.23 3.7–8.3 29.3

In addition to the confirmed asteroids on the above list, which feature in the CNEOS close approach database, there have been well-observed unconfirmed or confirmed but poorly observed objects with a 50% or greater chance of passing within 1 LD of the Earth, which are listed separately below.

Date ofclosestapproach Datediscovered Object Nominal geocentricdistance (AU) Nominal geocentricdistance (LD)Size (m)(approximate) (H) Closerapproachto Moon2016-02-11 2016-??-?? P10tI8h 0.69 2–3 30.7 ?2016-03-28 2016-03-31 akaBeUc1Ig 0.99 3–9 29.3 ?2016-04-01 2016-04-02 aka XGB1CE8 0.13 3–9 29.3 ?2016-08-09 2016-08-16 (Unconfirmed) DT16P09 0.17 1–3 32.9 ?2016-10-14 2016-10-20 (Unconfirmed) XT9D939 0.94distance error: 0.000244 AU, approach range: 0.84 to 1.03 LD 7–20 27.7 2016-10-19 2016-11-06 (Unconfirmed) XUA7AB3 0.91distance error: 0.000609 AU, approach range: 0.67 to 1.14 LD 4–13 28.6 2016-11-05 2016-11-14 (Unconfirmed) XV88D4F 0.095distance error: 0.0000808 AU, approach range: 0.064 to 0.13 LD 2–7 30.0

Warning times by size This sub-section visualizes the warning times of the close approaches listed in the table of confirmed close approaches, depending on the size of the asteroid. The sizes of the charts show the relative sizes of the asteroids to scale. For comparison, the approximate size of a person is also shown. This is based the absolute magnitude of each asteroid, an approximate measure of size based on brightness.

Absolute magnitude H ≥ 30 (smallest) (size of a person for comparison)

Absolute magnitude 30 > H ≥ 29

Absolute magnitude 29 > H ≥ 28

Absolute magnitude 28 > H ≥ 27

Absolute magnitude 27 > H ≥ 26

Absolute magnitude 26 > H ≥ 25

Absolute magnitude 25 > H (largest)

None

Notes

Timeline of close approaches less than one Lunar distance from the Moon in 2016

The number of asteroids listed here are significantly less than those of asteroids that approach Earth for several reasons. Asteroids that approach Earth not only move faster, but are brighter and are easier to detect with modern surveys because: Asteroids that come closer to Earth are a higher priority to confirm, and only confirmed asteroids are listed with a lunocentric approach distance. Those that closely approach the Moon are frequently lost in its glare, making them harder to confirm. They are easier to discover during the new Moon, when the Moon is too close to the Sun to detect asteroids while they are near the Moon.

These factors severely limit the amount of Moon-approaching asteroids, to a level many times lower than the asteroids detected passing as close to Earth. Date ofclosestapproach Object Nominal lunocentricdistance (AU)Distance from the center of the Moon to the center of the object. the Moon has a radius of approximately 1,740 km. Nominal lunocentricdistance (LD)Size (m)(approximate) (H) approachdistanceto Earth (LD) 2016-01-01 0.83 7–24 27.3 1.45 2016-01-10 0.49 2–7 29.9 0.27 2016-01-11 0.25 3–7 29.7 0.069 2016-02-07 0.55 3–16 28.5 0.39 2016-02-10 0.76 2–7 29.8 0.56 2016-02-13 0.79 7–21 27.5 0.20 2016-02-26 0.74 2–5 30.5 0.037 2016-02-29 0.49 2–7 29.9 0.52 2016-03-03 0.39 2–9 29.1 0.53 2016-03-04 0.61 5–20 27.8 0.60 2016-03-05 0.998 3–10 29.1 1.14 2016-03-08 0.45 4–10 28.5 0.40 2016-03-09 0.89 5–9 28.0 0.84 2016-03-10 0.62 16–31 25.5 0.082 2016-03-14 0.51 4–8 29.1 0.44 2016-03-21 0.995For the Moon, the exact approach distance for is in high error, but with a higher certainty than to Earth: The error is slightly higher at 0.000208 AU, but as the approach distance is 0.0045 LD closer, the likelihood of a less-than-1-LD approach is nearly 0.6% higher. 35–86 24.2 0.9995 2016-03-24 0.37 4–10 28.3 0.98 2016-03-26 0.83 4–9 28.9 0.47 2016-03-28 0.48 4–12 28.8 0.70 2016-04-03 0.90 10–31 26.7 1.23 2016-04-04 0.86 1–5 30.3 0.19 2016-04-11 0.90 13–43 26.0 1.81 2016-05-06 0.62 1–5 30.6 0.53 2016-06-04 0.84 7–24 27.4 0.91 2016-06-09 0.80 2–8 29.5 0.20 2016-09-02 0.94 3–11 29.1 0.50 2016-09-07 0.50 5–28 27.4 1.35 2016-09-08 0.75 6–18 27.8 0.11 2016-09-10 0.61 24–80 24.6 1.32 2016-09-10 0.84 5–15 28.3 1.19 2016-10-03 2016 TH 0.35 3–9 29.4 0.33 2016-10-07 0.70 3–8 29.7 0.56 2016-10-10 0.82 6–18 27.9 0.20 2016-10-18 2016 UD 0.42 10–33 26.6 0.19 2016-11-02 2016 VA 0.89 6–27 27.3 0.24 2016-11-05 XV88D4F 0.98 2–7 30.0 0.095 2016-11-08 0.90 4–15 28.4 0.70 2016-11-10 0.85 2–8 29.9 0.18 2016-11-17 2016 WY 0.94 3–10 29.3 1.73 2016-11-17 2016 WT 0.89 2–8 29.7 0.50 2016-11-25 0.39 3–11 29.0 0.35 2016-11-27 0.991 5–15 28.3 1.13 2016-11-30 0.66 3–10 29.3 0.23

Notes

Additional examples

An example list of near-Earth asteroids that passed more than 1 lunar distance (384,400 km or 0.00256 AU) from Earth in 2016. (~102 meters in diameter) passed 4.92 Lunar distances (1.9 million km) from Earth on 15 January 2016. XBBE860 (~8 meters in diameter) passed 1.13 lunar distances (435,000 km) from Earth on 1 February 2016. P10tc2W (~10 meters in diameter) passed 1.02 lunar distances (391,000 km) from Earth on 6 March 2016 (~30 meters in diameter) may have passed as close as 0.07 lunar distances (30,000 km) from Earth around 5–6 March 2016, but the best fitting orbital solution suggests that it passed roughly 11 lunar distances (4 million km) from Earth around 8 March 2016. has not been observed since 2013 and was not recovered during the 2016 passage. 252P/LINEAR (~900 meters in diameter) passed 13.9 lunar distances (5.3 million km) from Earth on 21 March 2016 Comet P/2016 BA14 (~1000 meters in diameter) passed 9.2 lunar distances (3.5 million km) from Earth on 22 March 2016.Comet Flying by Earth Observed with Radar and Infrared. NASA press release. 24 March 2016. (~6 meters in diameter) has a minimum estimated approach on May 8, 2016 of 0.82 lunar distances (315,000 km) from Earth. However the best fit calculates an approach of 7.6 lunar distances (2.9 million km) from Earth. (~200 meters in diameter) passed 6.2 lunar distances (2.4 million km) from Earth on May 24, 2016. (~23 meters in diameter) passed 27.98 lunar distances (10.7 million km) from Earth on March 26, 2016Near Earth Objects - Dynamic Site 2016FE13 ▹ CLOSE APPROACHES 2016 PQ (~30 meters in diameter) passed 9.80 lunar distances (3.8 million km) from Earth on August 7, 2016. (~8 meters in diameter) passed between 1.0012 and 1.0029 lunar distances (385,000 km) from Earth on September 26, 2016. (~11 meters in diameter) passed 1.033 lunar distances (397,000 km) from Earth on October 24, 2016 (~108 meters in diameter) passed 4.6 Lunar distances (1.75 million km) from Earth on 30 December 2016

Other objects

XF38FAC (Satellite 2015-007B) with an observation arc of only 17 minutes was estimated to have a chance of impacting Earth at 16:51 on 20 March 2016,XF38FAC at Project Pluto but turned out to be the SpaceX Falcon 9 second stage that sent Deep Space Climate Observatory out to L1.

See also List of asteroid close approaches to Earth List of asteroid close approaches to Earth in 2015 List of asteroid close approaches to Earth in 2017

References