Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 27,058,856 km of Earth in 2026
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2017 HV3 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2017 HV3 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 HV3 orbits the sun every 472 days (1.29 years), coming as close as 1.01 AU and reaching as far as 1.36 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2017 HV3 is probably between 0.032 to 0.142 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

The rotation of 2017 HV3 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 0.09 hours.

Close Approaches

2017 HV3's orbit is 0.06 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 HV3 has 17 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Aug. 24, 2026 27,058,856 9.080
May 4, 2048 20,840,561 3.371
Aug. 16, 2048 11,554,983 4.291
Aug. 23, 2057 26,824,365 9.017
May 12, 2079 20,485,700 4.345
Aug. 18, 2079 19,368,974 3.865
April 2, 2088 28,523,546 4.387
Aug. 20, 2088 13,754,710 6.651
May 11, 2110 24,945,540 6.304
Sept. 10, 2110 28,874,913 3.861
April 13, 2119 25,647,955 4.002
Aug. 20, 2119 9,319,950 5.700
May 14, 2141 21,577,951 4.883
Aug. 20, 2141 22,390,388 3.882
Aug. 23, 2150 18,062,588 7.459
Aug. 17, 2172 13,099,384 4.126
Aug. 25, 2181 26,681,474 9.011

Images and Observations

2017 HV3's orbit is determined by observations dating back to March 7, 2017. It was last officially observed on Sept. 18, 2017. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 103 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2017 HV3 can be reached with a journey of 362 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 9.102 km/s. To put this into perspective, the delta-v to launch a rocket to Low-Earth Orbit is 9.7 km/s. There are 4,575 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2017 HV3.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2017 HV3:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.186 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1472
  • Inclination: 7.49°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 160.92°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 116.84°
  • Mean Anomaly: 291.24°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.087 km
  • Magnitude: 23.7

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 472 days (1.29 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 27.34 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.36 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.01 AU
  • Rotation Period: 0.09 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2017 HV3 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 HV3 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.