Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Jupiter Trojan
  • Comparable in size to the city of Indianapolis (24.84 km diameter)
  • Not a Near Earth Object
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

18971 (2000 QY177) is a large asteroid that shares Jupiter's orbit around the sun. NASA JPL has not classified 2000 QY177 as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

2000 QY177 orbits the sun every 4,340 days (11.88 years), coming as close as 4.59 AU and reaching as far as 5.82 AU from the sun. 2000 QY177 is about 24.8 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Indianapolis.

No Close Approaches

2000 QY177's orbit is 3.59 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is an extremely wide berth between this asteroid and Earth at all times.

Orbital simulations conducted by NASA JPL's CNEOS do not show any close approaches to Earth.

Images and Observations

2000 QY177's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Jan. 23, 1982. It was last officially observed on June 28, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 1,797 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 2000 QY177:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 5.203 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1186
  • Inclination: 14.04°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 189.96°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 44.62°
  • Mean Anomaly: 90.84°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 24.83900 km
  • Magnitude: 11.76
  • Albedo: 0.060

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 4,340 days (11.88 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 13.04 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 5.82 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 4.59 AU

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 18971 (2000 QY177) 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.