163818 (2003 RX7)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 163818 (2003 RX7)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building (0.39 km diameter)
  • Will pass within 25,875,658 km of Earth in 2053
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

163818 (2003 RX7) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2003 RX7 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2003 RX7 orbits the sun every 498 days (1.36 years), coming as close as 0.79 AU and reaching as far as 1.66 AU from the sun. 2003 RX7 is about 0.4 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building.

The rotation of 2003 RX7 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 5.65 hours.

Close Approaches

2003 RX7's orbit is 0.03 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.

2003 RX7 has 8 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
April 28, 2053 25,875,658 14.682
April 27, 2068 21,411,345 13.629
April 27, 2083 21,116,372 13.575
April 28, 2098 24,461,846 14.379
Nov. 7, 2134 23,908,363 15.274
Nov. 10, 2149 17,657,598 14.083
Nov. 9, 2164 18,419,488 14.245
Nov. 8, 2179 24,275,861 15.333

Images and Observations

2003 RX7's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 6, 2003. It was last officially observed on July 9, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 835 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 2003 RX7:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.229 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.3544
  • Inclination: 10.39°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 241.02°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 245.9°
  • Mean Anomaly: 139.41°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 0.38600 km
  • Magnitude: 18.47
  • Albedo: 0.516

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 498 days (1.36 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 26.85 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.66 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.79 AU
  • Rotation Period: 5.65 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 163818 (2003 RX7) 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 below comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 2003 RX7 to create an approximate landscape rendering with New York City in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.