2010 GA6

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Near-Earth micro-asteroid

title: "2010 GA6" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["apollo-asteroids", "minor-planet-object-articles-(unnumbered)", "discoveries-by-the-catalina-sky-survey", "near-earth-objects-removed-from-the-sentry-risk-table", "near-earth-objects-in-2010", "astronomical-objects-discovered-in-2010"] description: "Near-Earth micro-asteroid" topic_path: "general/apollo-asteroids" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_GA6" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Near-Earth micro-asteroid ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox planet"]

Field	Value
minorplanet	yes
name
background	#FFC2E0
image	2010GA6 in April 8 2010.jpg
caption	, captured by Purple Mountain Observatory in 8 April 2010
discovery_ref
discoverer	CSS
discovery_site	Mount Lemmon Obs.
discovered	5 April 2010
mpc_name
mp_category	NEO Apollo
Mars-crosser
orbit_ref
epoch	21 November 2025 (JD 2461000.5)
uncertainty	6
observation_arc	4 days
aphelion	3.6846 AU
perihelion	0.9271 AU
semimajor	2.3059 AU
eccentricity	0.5979
period	3.50 yr (1,279 days)
mean_anomaly	155.48°
mean_motion	/ day
inclination	9.7549°
asc_node	197.62°
arg_peri	34.323°
moid	0.0061 AU (2.4 LD)
mean_diameter	22 m
(est. at 0.20)
(est. at 0.057)
abs_magnitude	25.926.0
::

**** is a micro-asteroid on an eccentric orbit, classified as a near-Earth object of the Apollo group. It was first observed on 5 April 2010, by astronomers of the Catalina Sky Survey at Mount Lemmon Observatory, Arizona, United States, four days before a close approach to Earth at 1.1 lunar distances on 9 April 2010. It has not been observed since.

Orbit and classification

is an Apollo asteroid. Apollo's cross the orbit of Earth and are the largest group of near-Earth objects with nearly 10 thousand known members. It orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 0.93–3.68 AU once every 3 years and 6 months (1,279 days; semi-major axis of 2.31 AU). Its orbit has a high eccentricity of 0.60 and an inclination of 10° with respect to the ecliptic. With an aphelion of 3.68 AU, it is also a Mars-crossing asteroid, as it crosses the orbit of the Red Planet at 1.666 AU.

Close approach

With a 1-day observation arc, had a 1 in 6 million chance of impacting Earth in 2074. It was removed from the Sentry Risk Table on 8 April 2010. The asteroid has now a minimum orbital intersection distance with Earth of 0.00607 AU, which corresponds to 2.4 lunar distances, and is notably larger than the nominal distance of its 2010-flyby.

2010 flyby

On 9 April 2010, 02:07 UT, the asteroid passed Earth at a nominal distance of 0.0029 AU or 1.1 lunar distances. A stony asteroid 22 meters in diameter can be expected to create an air burst with the equivalent of 300 kilotons of TNT at an altitude of 21 km. Generally only asteroids larger than 35 meters across pose a threat to a town or city. There are no projection of future close approaches to Earth available.

Physical characteristics

According to NASA astronomers, measures approximately 22 m in diameter. Based on a generic magnitude-to-diameter conversion, the asteroid measures between 19 and 36 meters in diameter, for an absolute magnitude of 22.6, and an assumed albedo between 0.057 and 0.20, which represent typical values for carbonaceous and stony asteroids, respectively.

Numbering and naming

This minor planet has neither been numbered nor named.

References

|type = 2010-04-09 last obs. |title = JPL Small-Body Database Browser: (2010 GA6) |url = https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=3514890;cad=1 |publisher = Jet Propulsion Laboratory |accessdate = 15 February 2018}}

|title = 2010 GA6 |work = Minor Planet Center |url = https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/db_search/show_object?object_id=2010+GA6 |accessdate = 15 February 2018}}

|title=MPEC 2010-G23 : 2010 GA6 |publisher=IAU Minor Planet Center |date=2010-04-05 |url=https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/mpec/K10/K10G23.html |accessdate=2013-02-08}} (K10G06A)

|date=2010-04-07 |title=Observations of small Solar-System bodies |publisher=hohmanntransfer |url=http://www.hohmanntransfer.com/mn/10/10097_0407.htm#2010GA6 |accessdate=2013-02-08}} (1.6e-07 = 1 in 6,250,000 chance)

|title = Asteroid to Fly by Within Moon's Orbit Thursday |date = 6 April 2010 |publisher = NASA/JPL |url = https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2010-115 |accessdate = 15 February 2018}}

|title = Asteroid Size Estimator |publisher = CNEOS NASA/JPL |url = https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov/tools/ast_size_est.html |accessdate = 15 February 2018}}

|title=Date/Time Removed |publisher=NASA/JPL Near-Earth Object Program Office |url=http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/risk/removed.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020602101400/http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/risk/removed.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2002-06-02 |accessdate=2012-03-19}}

|date=2010 |title=Earth Impact Effects Program |publisher=Imperial College London / Purdue University |author=Robert Marcus |author2=H. Jay Melosh |author3=Gareth Collins |name-list-style=amp |url=https://impact.ese.ic.ac.uk/ImpactEffects/ |accessdate=2013-02-04}} (solution using 22 meters, 2600kg/m^3, 17km/s, 45 degrees)

|date=January 22, 2013 |title=Asteroid Hunter Gives an Update on the Threat of Near-Earth Objects |publisher=Scientific American |author=Will Ferguson |url=https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/2013/01/22/asteroid-hunter-gives-an-update-on-the-threat-of-near-earth-objects/ |accessdate=2013-01-23}}

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::