Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
  • Will pass within 3,725,557 km of Earth in 2038
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

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

2017 CS orbits the sun every 1,530 days (4.19 years), coming as close as 1.01 AU and reaching as far as 4.20 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2017 CS is probably between 0.282 to 0.631 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.

The rotation of 2017 CS has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 40.34 hours.

Close Approaches

2017 CS'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 CS has 6 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
May 17, 2038 3,725,557 9.760
May 31, 2080 4,398,625 9.157
June 24, 2101 11,698,030 11.480
July 7, 2156 28,044,879 14.404
April 19, 2173 25,661,181 13.788
April 22, 2190 26,344,198 13.254

Images and Observations

2017 CS's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Jan. 4, 2017. It was last officially observed on Jan. 13, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 1,241 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 CS:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.603 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.6127
  • Inclination: 6.93°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 240.1°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 358.96°
  • Mean Anomaly: 179.13°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.364 km
  • Magnitude: 19.87

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,530 days (4.19 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 18.51 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 4.20 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.01 AU
  • Rotation Period: 40.34 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2017 CS 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 CS 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.