2007 PF28

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2007 PF28

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 22,584,536 km of Earth in 2032
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2007 PF28 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2007 PF28 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2007 PF28 orbits the sun every 1,140 days (3.12 years), coming as close as 0.42 AU and reaching as far as 3.85 AU from the sun. Its orbit is highly elliptical. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2007 PF28 is probably between 0.379 to 0.847 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge.

The rotation of 2007 PF28 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 22.10 hours.

Close Approaches

2007 PF28'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 PF28 has 8 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Sept. 3, 2032 22,584,536 21.963
April 8, 2042 29,372,384 32.032
Sept. 3, 2057 17,104,007 22.770
March 21, 2089 24,518,816 21.386
March 22, 2114 25,961,331 21.002
April 2, 2139 6,500,868 26.815
March 26, 2164 13,698,710 23.583
April 3, 2189 10,501,565 27.604

Images and Observations

2007 PF28's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Aug. 15, 2007. It was last officially observed on April 18, 2017. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 425 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 PF28:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.136 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.8029
  • Inclination: 5.88°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 179.45°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 261.96°
  • Mean Anomaly: 31.71°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.489 km
  • Magnitude: 19.23

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,140 days (3.12 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 20.38 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.85 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.42 AU
  • Rotation Period: 22.10 hours

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

⧉

Sky Map

The position of 2007 PF28 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 PF28 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.