2017 EN

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2017 EN

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 10,113,615 km of Earth in 2027
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

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

2017 EN orbits the sun every 562 days (1.54 years), coming as close as 0.57 AU and reaching as far as 2.09 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2017 EN is probably between 0.202 to 0.451 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2017 EN's orbit is 0.01 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.

2017 EN has 14 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Aug. 20, 2027 10,113,615 18.627
March 1, 2037 17,248,975 14.715
Aug. 25, 2047 13,622,269 16.115
March 7, 2057 1,937,597 17.677
Aug. 21, 2067 9,443,225 17.928
March 14, 2100 19,555,326 21.847
Aug. 14, 2107 25,467,847 22.547
Aug. 22, 2127 9,191,008 18.113
March 4, 2137 12,148,214 15.715
Aug. 28, 2147 17,621,414 15.162
March 11, 2157 7,711,880 19.537
Aug. 13, 2164 25,646,388 22.610
March 2, 2174 20,229,380 14.176
Sept. 3, 2184 28,542,184 13.028

Images and Observations

2017 EN's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Feb. 28, 2014. It was last officially observed on June 23, 2019. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 158 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 EN:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.333 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5715
  • Inclination: 9.61°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 168.92°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 258.34°
  • Mean Anomaly: 125.79°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.260 km
  • Magnitude: 20.6

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 562 days (1.54 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 25.80 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.09 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.57 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2017 EN 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 EN 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.