Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 26,023,316 km of Earth in 2020
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2007 EK is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2007 EK 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.

2007 EK orbits the sun every 437 days (1.20 years), coming as close as 0.82 AU and reaching as far as 1.43 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2007 EK is probably between 0.002 to 0.011 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2007 EK's orbit is 0.00 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.

2007 EK has 3 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Sept. 6, 2020 26,023,316 13.445
Aug. 30, 2026 4,188,766 9.141
Aug. 26, 2032 3,700,531 7.618

NASA Sentry has assessed impact risk for 1 very close approach scenarios. Here are the top scenarios ordered by probability of impact:

Date Probability of Impact (%) Impact Energy (Mt)
Sept. 7, 2093 0.00000 0.003347

Images and Observations

2007 EK's orbit is determined by observations dating back to March 9, 2007. It was last officially observed on March 13, 2007. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 38 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2007 EK can be reached with a journey of 378 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 8.03 km/s. To put this into perspective, the delta-v to launch a rocket to Low-Earth Orbit is 9.7 km/s. There are 40,698 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2007 EK.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2007 EK:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.126 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.2726
  • Inclination: 1.21°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 168.52°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 83.42°
  • Mean Anomaly: 240.75°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.007 km
  • Magnitude: 29.3

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 437 days (1.20 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 28.03 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.43 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.82 AU

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2007 EK 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.