Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 16,506,992 km of Earth in 2022
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

152637 (1997 NC1) is a small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 1997 NC1 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

1997 NC1 orbits the sun every 294 days (0.80 years), coming as close as 0.68 AU and reaching as far as 1.05 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 1997 NC1 is probably between 0.709 to 1.585 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than ~97% of asteroids but small compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge.

Close Approaches

1997 NC1'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.

1997 NC1 has 20 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
July 5, 2022 16,506,992 8.831
June 27, 2026 2,565,877 8.887
June 23, 2030 19,748,375 10.683
July 12, 2051 29,381,642 9.852
July 1, 2055 9,587,276 8.664
June 25, 2059 10,426,155 9.588
July 6, 2084 20,396,375 9.070
June 27, 2088 3,666,164 8.753
June 24, 2092 11,997,870 9.744
June 23, 2096 27,098,302 11.747
July 10, 2125 26,249,706 9.543
July 3, 2129 13,654,970 8.740
June 28, 2133 2,541,824 8.837
June 25, 2137 11,138,839 9.664
June 24, 2141 25,314,447 11.457
July 13, 2170 29,532,881 9.908
July 4, 2174 14,666,244 8.789
June 28, 2178 2,587,977 8.837
June 25, 2182 12,228,364 9.766
June 24, 2186 25,407,053 11.479

Images and Observations

1997 NC1's orbit is determined by observations dating back to July 5, 1997. It was last officially observed on Sept. 21, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 367 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 1997 NC1:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 0.8648 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.2084
  • Inclination: 16.72°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 96.46°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 16.59°
  • Mean Anomaly: 345.68°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.915 km
  • Magnitude: 17.87

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 294 days (0.80 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 32.00 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.05 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.68 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 152637 (1997 NC1) 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 1997 NC1 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.