Key Facts
- Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
- Comparable in size to a basketball court
- Will pass within 27,796,170 km of Earth in 2020
- Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
- Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
- See orbit simulation
Overview
2007 UW1 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2007 UW1 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 UW1 orbits the sun every 316 days (0.87 years), coming as close as 0.80 AU and reaching as far as 1.02 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2007 UW1 is probably between 0.050 to 0.224 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a basketball court.
Close Approaches
2007 UW1'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 UW1 has 17 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
|---|---|---|
| April 25, 2020 | 27,796,170 | 6.596 |
| Oct. 5, 2026 | 12,677,987 | 4.711 |
| June 10, 2039 | 25,061,054 | 4.673 |
| Oct. 21, 2039 | 4,639,804 | 5.185 |
| Sept. 10, 2045 | 25,840,213 | 6.470 |
| May 19, 2058 | 26,544,312 | 5.812 |
| Oct. 23, 2058 | 17,252,620 | 7.016 |
| Sept. 30, 2064 | 14,674,574 | 4.892 |
| April 30, 2077 | 27,804,221 | 6.536 |
| Oct. 17, 2083 | 2,375,882 | 4.613 |
| March 28, 2090 | 29,472,816 | 6.803 |
| Oct. 7, 2096 | 10,529,801 | 4.605 |
| April 21, 2103 | 27,383,610 | 6.622 |
| May 27, 2116 | 25,279,884 | 5.362 |
| Oct. 22, 2116 | 11,475,198 | 6.030 |
| June 24, 2129 | 24,542,437 | 3.723 |
| Oct. 19, 2129 | 83,985 | 5.633 |
Images and Observations
2007 UW1's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 17, 2007. It was last officially observed on Dec. 3, 2013. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 38 observations used to determine its orbit.
Accessibility and Exploration
2007 UW1 can be reached with a journey of 362 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 7.176 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 97,099 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.
See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2007 UW1.
Similar Objects
These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2007 UW1:References
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or view a random objectOrbital Elements
- Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
- Semi-major axis: 0.9075 AU
- Eccentricity: 0.121
- Inclination: 8.22°
- Longitude of Ascending Node: 25.93°
- Argument of Periapsis: 146.58°
- Mean Anomaly: 3.9°
Physical Characteristics
- Diameter: ~0.137 km
- Magnitude: 22.7
Derived Characteristics
- Orbit Period: 316 days (0.87 years)
- Avg. Orbit Speed: 31.24 km/s
- Aphelion Distance: 1.02 AU
- Perihelion Distance: 0.80 AU
Map Comparison
Orbit Simulation
Sky Map
The position of 2007 UW1 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 UW1 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.
