2017 OA

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

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

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 18,574,541 km of Earth in 2034
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

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

2017 OA orbits the sun every 889 days (2.43 years), coming as close as 0.78 AU and reaching as far as 2.84 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2017 OA is probably between 0.230 to 0.515 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2017 OA'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 OA has 11 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Nov. 25, 2034 18,574,541 11.595
July 18, 2039 25,458,350 19.055
Dec. 14, 2051 7,800,659 15.623
July 31, 2056 11,228,064 13.882
Nov. 9, 2090 26,485,595 11.608
Dec. 18, 2107 12,392,841 16.703
Aug. 7, 2112 15,452,375 12.421
Dec. 11, 2146 6,876,671 13.980
July 30, 2151 11,367,187 15.005
Nov. 20, 2185 22,463,177 11.369
July 20, 2190 27,718,275 19.452

Images and Observations

2017 OA's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 30, 2000. It was last officially observed on June 12, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 75 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 OA:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.809 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5698
  • Inclination: 4.12°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 226.98°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 147.89°
  • Mean Anomaly: 156.57°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.297 km
  • Magnitude: 20.31

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 889 days (2.43 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 22.14 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.84 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.78 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2017 OA 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 OA 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.