2017 HT3

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Amor-class Asteroid
• Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
• Will pass within 21,740,327 km of Earth in 2019
• Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

2017 HT3 is a very small asteroid whose orbit approaches the orbit of Earth but does not cross it. NASA JPL has classified 2017 HT3 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 HT3 orbits the sun every 733 days (2.01 years), coming as close as 1.15 AU and reaching as far as 2.03 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2017 HT3 is probably between 0.092 to 0.206 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2017 HT3's orbit is 0.14 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is an wide berth between this asteroid and Earth at all times.

2017 HT3 has 3 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Images and Observations

2017 HT3's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 16, 2017. It was last officially observed on May 1, 2019. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 105 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 HT3:

• 2135 Aristaeus (1977 HA)
• 31662 (1999 HP11)
• 41429 (2000 GE2)

References

• JPL Small Body Database
• Mission Design
• Sky Finder Chart

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2017 HT3 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 HT3 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.