2019 GC6

2019 GC₆ is a very small near-Earth asteroid and potentially hazardous object of the Apollo group, approximately 20 meters (70 ft) in diameter. It was detected by the Catalina Sky Survey at Catalina Station on 9 April 2019, a few days before it made its first-observed pass through the cislunar region at a distance of 136,000 miles (219,000 km), comparable to roughly half the average distance from the Earth to the Moon (0.58 LD).

2019 GC₆ is a member of the Apollo group of asteroids, which are Earth-crossing asteroids. They are the largest group of near-Earth objects with approximately 10,000 known members. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 0.91–1.29 AU once every 14 months (424 days; semi-major axis of 1.1 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.18 and an inclination of 1° with respect to the ecliptic.

The body's observation arc begins with its first observation by the Mount Lemmon Survey on 31 March 2019, just a few days prior to its potential discovery observation by the Catalina Sky Survey.

The dimensions of the asteroid are estimated to range between 7.5–30 metres (25–98 ft) and has been compared to size of a house. Based on an magnitude-to-diameter conversion and a measured absolute magnitude of 26.5, 2019 GC₆ measures between 15 and 28 meters in diameter for an assumed geometric albedo of 0.20 (siliceous) and 0.057 (carbonaceous), respectively.

• CSS Observer Africano Discovers 2019’s Closest Earth-Grazing Asteroid, Catalina Sky Survey, 17 April 2019
• 2019 GC6 at NeoDyS-2, Near Earth Objects—Dynamic Site
  • Ephemerides · Observation prediction · Orbital info · MOID · Proper elements · Observational info · Close approaches · Physical info · Orbit animation
• 2019 GC6 at ESA–space situational awareness
  • Ephemerides · Observations · Orbit · Physical properties · Summary
• 2019 GC6 at the JPL Small-Body Database
  • Close approach · Discovery · Ephemeris · Orbit viewer · Orbit parameters · Physical parameters