2017 JT2

Small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2017 JT2

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 23,650,328 km of Earth in 2027
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2017 JT2 is a small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2017 JT2 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2017 JT2 orbits the sun every 457 days (1.25 years), coming as close as 0.25 AU and reaching as far as 2.07 AU from the sun. Its orbit is highly elliptical. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2017 JT2 is probably between 0.453 to 1.014 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than ~97% of asteroids but small compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge.

Close Approaches

2017 JT2's orbit is 0.02 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 JT2 has 17 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
April 7, 2027 23,650,328 27.966
April 8, 2032 17,064,438 28.991
April 9, 2037 11,091,506 29.987
April 11, 2042 6,025,249 30.943
April 13, 2047 3,867,733 31.793
April 13, 2052 6,969,989 32.759
April 15, 2057 12,457,944 33.854
April 17, 2062 18,964,006 35.108
April 20, 2067 25,820,928 36.438
April 8, 2161 23,179,736 28.117
April 10, 2166 16,897,202 29.137
April 11, 2171 11,560,487 30.073
April 12, 2176 7,524,937 30.911
April 13, 2181 5,450,653 31.683
April 15, 2186 6,746,972 32.517
April 17, 2191 11,461,211 33.611
April 18, 2196 17,411,133 34.801

Images and Observations

2017 JT2's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 3, 2017. It was last officially observed on May 3, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 73 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 JT2:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.162 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.7839
  • Inclination: 42.72°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 21.16°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 47.43°
  • Mean Anomaly: 93.62°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.585 km
  • Magnitude: 18.84

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 457 days (1.25 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 27.66 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.07 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.25 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2017 JT2 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 above comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 2017 JT2 to create an approximate landscape rendering with Mount Everest in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.