Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
  • Will pass within 17,510,810 km of Earth in 2050
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2017 AN19 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2017 AN19 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2017 AN19 orbits the sun every 668 days (1.83 years), coming as close as 0.94 AU and reaching as far as 2.05 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2017 AN19 is probably between 0.305 to 0.682 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building.

Close Approaches

2017 AN19'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.

2017 AN19 has 7 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
July 16, 2050 17,510,810 14.747
July 2, 2061 6,529,955 12.809
July 24, 2103 29,517,368 16.336
July 7, 2114 5,216,148 13.183
June 18, 2125 22,135,897 12.326
July 19, 2167 19,772,395 15.007
July 4, 2178 6,312,155 12.847

Images and Observations

2017 AN19's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Jan. 7, 2017. It was last officially observed on Oct. 1, 2019. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 71 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 2017 AN19:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.495 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.3687
  • Inclination: 19.77°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 281.31°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 329.33°
  • Mean Anomaly: 132.01°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.394 km
  • Magnitude: 19.7

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 668 days (1.83 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 24.35 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.05 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.94 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2017 AN19 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 2017 AN19 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.