2007 GQ3

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
• Comparable in size to a basketball court
• Will pass within 15,781,559 km of Earth in 2070
• Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
• Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
• See orbit simulation

Overview

2007 GQ3 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2007 GQ3 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2007 GQ3 orbits the sun every 886 days (2.43 years), coming as close as 0.99 AU and reaching as far as 2.62 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2007 GQ3 is probably between 0.106 to 0.237 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a basketball court.

The rotation of 2007 GQ3 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 0.06 hours.

Close Approaches

2007 GQ3'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.

2007 GQ3 has 1 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Images and Observations

2007 GQ3's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 11, 2007. It was last officially observed on April 27, 2007. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 179 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 2007 GQ3:

• 2074 Shoemaker (1974 UA)
• 3635 Kreutz (1981 WO1)
• 5869 Tanith (1988 VN4)

References

• JPL Small Body Database
• Mission Design
• Sky Finder Chart

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2007 GQ3 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 2007 GQ3 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.