2017 OR68

Very small Amor-class Asteroid

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Space Reference » Amor-class Asteroids » 2017 OR68

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Amor-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a basketball court
  • Will pass within 13,932,543 km of Earth in 2021
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2017 OR68 is a very small asteroid whose orbit approaches the orbit of Earth but does not cross it. NASA JPL has classified 2017 OR68 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 OR68 orbits the sun every 521 days (1.43 years), coming as close as 1.06 AU and reaching as far as 1.48 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2017 OR68 is probably between 0.111 to 0.248 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a basketball court.

Close Approaches

2017 OR68's orbit is 0.08 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 OR68 has 7 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Jan. 29, 2021 13,932,543 13.258
Jan. 28, 2031 17,154,614 13.038
Jan. 31, 2078 21,223,012 13.735
Jan. 30, 2088 12,393,947 13.058
Jan. 27, 2098 24,743,040 13.246
Jan. 31, 2145 13,840,299 13.248
Jan. 30, 2155 17,263,160 13.050

Images and Observations

2017 OR68's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Feb. 10, 2011. It was last officially observed on Feb. 13, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 72 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 OR68:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.267 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1648
  • Inclination: 24.53°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 130.26°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 339.39°
  • Mean Anomaly: 313.48°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.143 km
  • Magnitude: 21.9

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 521 days (1.43 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 26.46 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.48 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.06 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2017 OR68 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 OR68 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.