2013 GY7

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2013 GY7

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 15,310,875 km of Earth in 2020
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2013 GY7 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2013 GY7 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2013 GY7 orbits the sun every 509 days (1.39 years), coming as close as 0.96 AU and reaching as far as 1.53 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2013 GY7 is probably between 0.222 to 0.497 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2013 GY7's orbit is 0.03 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.

2013 GY7 has 12 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Oct. 5, 2020 15,310,875 17.735
Sept. 27, 2027 22,580,905 15.686
Oct. 8, 2052 25,118,846 18.729
Sept. 29, 2059 13,216,501 15.950
Oct. 9, 2084 29,067,099 19.165
Sept. 30, 2091 11,202,890 16.038
Oct. 9, 2116 23,142,589 18.519
Sept. 29, 2123 18,651,941 15.775
Oct. 6, 2148 13,500,041 17.553
Sept. 27, 2155 27,695,874 15.639
Oct. 5, 2180 10,034,671 17.243
Sept. 27, 2187 28,769,501 15.639

Images and Observations

2013 GY7's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 3, 2013. It was last officially observed on Nov. 12, 2020. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 340 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 2013 GY7:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.247 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.2306
  • Inclination: 29.58°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 189.9°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 128.63°
  • Mean Anomaly: 69.85°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.287 km
  • Magnitude: 20.39

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 509 days (1.39 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 26.65 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.53 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.96 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2013 GY7 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 2013 GY7 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.