2016 RT17

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Amor-class Asteroid
• Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
• Will pass within 25,306,669 km of Earth in 2021
• Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

2016 RT17 is a very small asteroid whose orbit approaches the orbit of Earth but does not cross it. NASA JPL has classified 2016 RT17 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.

2016 RT17 orbits the sun every 610 days (1.67 years), coming as close as 1.15 AU and reaching as far as 1.66 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2016 RT17 is probably between 0.052 to 0.117 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2016 RT17's orbit is 0.17 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.

2016 RT17 has 6 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Images and Observations

2016 RT17's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 4, 2016. It was last officially observed on Aug. 30, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 52 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 2016 RT17:

• 3103 Eger (1982 BB)
• 3752 Camillo (1985 PA)
• 85774 (1998 UT18)

References

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

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2016 RT17 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 2016 RT17 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.