2017 NK

Very small Aten-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Aten-class Asteroids » 2017 NK

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 23,118,585 km of Earth in 2036
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2017 NK is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2017 NK as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2017 NK orbits the sun every 347 days (0.95 years), coming as close as 0.85 AU and reaching as far as 1.08 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2017 NK is probably between 0.100 to 0.448 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2017 NK's orbit is 0.04 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 NK has 31 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
June 20, 2036 23,118,585 10.374
May 24, 2037 23,018,530 7.083
Dec. 14, 2037 18,642,823 7.268
Nov. 19, 2038 28,855,520 11.509
June 1, 2056 14,546,708 7.077
Dec. 25, 2056 27,336,954 7.411
Nov. 23, 2057 20,040,788 10.137
June 2, 2075 13,691,538 7.101
Dec. 27, 2075 28,098,335 7.425
Nov. 23, 2076 19,645,368 10.078
June 21, 2093 25,250,274 10.706
May 26, 2094 21,622,124 7.061
Dec. 16, 2094 19,815,293 7.277
Nov. 19, 2095 28,421,021 11.436
June 18, 2112 18,056,241 9.629
May 17, 2113 28,475,315 7.212
Dec. 10, 2113 13,129,339 7.343
June 20, 2131 20,575,301 9.998
May 22, 2132 25,518,530 7.137
Dec. 12, 2132 16,163,014 7.278
June 24, 2150 29,718,810 11.410
June 1, 2151 16,570,810 7.042
Dec. 23, 2151 25,289,830 7.364
Nov. 22, 2152 21,996,291 10.430
June 4, 2170 13,008,695 7.120
Dec. 29, 2170 28,874,610 7.435
Nov. 25, 2171 18,693,853 9.933
June 23, 2188 28,072,034 11.149
May 29, 2189 18,913,531 7.037
Dec. 19, 2189 22,580,302 7.312
Nov. 21, 2190 25,544,845 10.975

Images and Observations

2017 NK's orbit is determined by observations dating back to July 2, 2017. It was last officially observed on Nov. 25, 2020. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 138 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2017 NK can be reached with a journey of 362 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 9.59 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 1,750 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

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

Similar Objects

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

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 0.9666 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1216
  • Inclination: 13.55°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 254.72°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 262.42°
  • Mean Anomaly: 292.05°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.274 km
  • Magnitude: 21.2

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 347 days (0.95 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 30.30 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.08 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.85 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2017 NK 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 NK 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.