Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 3,253,989 km of Earth in 2019
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2017 AP4 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2017 AP4 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.

2017 AP4 orbits the sun every 1,090 days (2.98 years), coming as close as 0.97 AU and reaching as far as 3.17 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2017 AP4 is probably between 0.011 to 0.024 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2017 AP4'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.

2017 AP4 has 6 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Dec. 3, 2019 3,253,989 7.488
Nov. 10, 2022 9,304,519 9.708
Oct. 28, 2025 26,829,659 13.635
Jan. 26, 2118 13,147,183 11.531
Dec. 20, 2120 5,688,049 7.801
Nov. 5, 2123 11,831,855 11.088

Images and Observations

2017 AP4's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Jan. 4, 2017. It was last officially observed on Feb. 2, 2017. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 24 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 AP4:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.07 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5333
  • Inclination: 1.48°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 292.15°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 150.63°
  • Mean Anomaly: 92.77°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.014 km
  • Magnitude: 27.0

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,090 days (2.98 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 20.66 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.17 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.97 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2017 AP4 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.