2001 MY7

Very small Amor-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Amor-class Asteroids » 2001 MY7

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Amor-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a basketball court
  • Will pass within 22,172,896 km of Earth in 2021
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2001 MY7 is a very small asteroid whose orbit approaches the orbit of Earth but does not cross it. NASA JPL has classified 2001 MY7 as a "Near Earth Asteroid" due to its orbit's proximity to Earth, but it is not considered potentially hazardous because computer simulations have not indicated any imminent likelihood of future collision.

2001 MY7 orbits the sun every 1,810 days (4.96 years), coming as close as 1.06 AU and reaching as far as 4.76 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2001 MY7 is probably between 0.117 to 0.262 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a basketball court.

Close Approaches

2001 MY7's orbit is 0.08 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.

2001 MY7 has 8 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
July 12, 2021 22,172,896 13.443
June 19, 2026 29,349,785 17.453
July 6, 2076 18,101,731 12.696
June 26, 2131 10,421,466 14.703
June 26, 2136 14,769,057 14.406
July 3, 2141 14,625,092 12.920
June 29, 2146 10,972,745 13.772
June 16, 2151 26,038,150 17.291

Images and Observations

2001 MY7's orbit is determined by observations dating back to June 21, 2001. It was last officially observed on Aug. 9, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 119 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 2001 MY7:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.906 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.6369
  • Inclination: 20.57°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 94.72°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 208.38°
  • Mean Anomaly: 154.43°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.151 km
  • Magnitude: 21.78

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,810 days (4.96 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 17.47 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 4.76 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.06 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2001 MY7 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 2001 MY7 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.