172678 (2003 YM137)

Small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 172678 (2003 YM137)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 2,511,935 km of Earth in 2033
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

172678 (2003 YM137) is a small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2003 YM137 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2003 YM137 orbits the sun every 1,500 days (4.11 years), coming as close as 0.76 AU and reaching as far as 4.38 AU from the sun. Its orbit is highly elliptical. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2003 YM137 is probably between 0.431 to 0.964 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

2003 YM137'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.

2003 YM137 has 8 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
June 24, 2033 2,511,935 17.554
May 15, 2054 23,583,005 12.658
June 25, 2075 16,270,904 18.735
June 17, 2096 11,588,493 15.174
April 16, 2121 27,748,888 13.107
June 12, 2142 7,896,212 14.125
May 16, 2163 25,243,020 12.912
Feb. 9, 2188 28,094,166 21.667

Images and Observations

2003 YM137's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Dec. 21, 2003. It was last officially observed on Dec. 16, 2007. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 336 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 YM137:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.57 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.7037
  • Inclination: 2.81°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 74.16°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 130.55°
  • Mean Anomaly: 230.97°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.557 km
  • Magnitude: 18.95

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,500 days (4.11 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 18.64 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 4.38 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.76 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 172678 (2003 YM137) 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 2003 YM137 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.