2016 PQ

Near-Earth asteroid February 2018 yes 2016 PQ #FFC2E0 2 August 2016 Pan-STARRS 1 Haleakala Obs. 2017 BS 5 NEO Apollo Mars-crosser 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) 7 (5 days) 2.9431 AU 0.8695 AU 1.9063 AU 0.5439 2.63 yr (961 days) 131.84° 0.3745 ms / day 2.6215° 317.73° 53.512° 0.000098 AU (0.038 LD;14693 km; 2.3 R🜨) 20 m (est. at 0.20; 25.9) 25.9 2016 PQ is an approximately 20-meter sized asteroid and near-Earth object of the Apollo group, with one of the smallest known minimum orbital intersection distances with Earth. Discovery The asteroid was discovered by the Pan-STARRS telescope on 2 August 2016, when it had reached magnitude 20.5, and it had brightened by magnitude 19.0 three nights later, after which it became too close to the Sun to spot with ground-based telescopes. It reached its closest approach to the Earth on 7 August 2016, at 0.025 AU, or 9.8 lunar distances. Orbit 2016 PQ orbits the Sun at a distance of 0.9–2.9 AU once every 2 years and 8 months (961 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.54 and an inclination of 3° with respect to the ecliptic. MOID 2016 PQ has a very small minimum orbit intersection distance (MOID) to the Earth only around 14693 km mi off, corresponding to 0.038 lunar distances or 2.3 Earth radii. It has the 19th lowest MOID of any known asteroid, as well as the 7th lowest MOID of any object larger than it (after (433953) 1997 XR 2, 2006 QV 89, (85236) 1993 KH, 2013 TX 68, 2014 DA, and 2004 FH). Despite its very low MOID, it is not on the Sentry Risk Table, as it is not going to make any nearby close approaches to Earth in the near future. It is too small to be classified as a potentially hazardous asteroid. See also List of asteroid close approaches to Earth in 2016 (893194) 2016 EU 85 References 2016-08-07 last obs. JPL Small-Body Database Browser: (2016 PQ) http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=3756787 Jet Propulsion Laboratory 2 August 2017 2016 PQ Minor Planet Center https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/db_search/show_object?object_id=2016+PQ 2 August 2017 Asteroid Size Estimator CNEOS/JPL https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov/tools/ast_size_est.html 13 September 2017 External links 2016+PQ 2016PQ 3756787 # Category:Minor planet object articles (unnumbered) 20160807 20160802