2017 AY3

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2017 AY3

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 15,299,001 km of Earth in 2026
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2017 AY3 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2017 AY3 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 AY3 orbits the sun every 669 days (1.83 years), coming as close as 0.73 AU and reaching as far as 2.26 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2017 AY3 is probably between 0.192 to 0.429 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2017 AY3's orbit is 0.07 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 AY3 has 12 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
June 21, 2026 15,299,001 14.607
Jan. 11, 2028 15,271,827 16.470
June 17, 2037 16,458,756 12.939
Jan. 7, 2039 23,031,776 18.363
June 8, 2048 23,082,507 10.872
Feb. 13, 2125 27,261,304 11.065
Feb. 3, 2136 21,861,504 11.132
Jan. 29, 2147 17,934,813 11.681
July 3, 2156 29,554,690 19.209
Jan. 28, 2158 17,025,668 11.843
Feb. 8, 2169 24,587,359 11.006
Jan. 9, 2182 24,270,083 18.781

Images and Observations

2017 AY3's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Dec. 16, 2014. It was last officially observed on Aug. 17, 2017. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 53 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 AY3:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.497 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5093
  • Inclination: 6.15°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 157.33°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 31.72°
  • Mean Anomaly: 203.61°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.247 km
  • Magnitude: 20.71

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 669 days (1.83 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 24.34 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.26 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.73 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2017 AY3 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 AY3 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.