2017 PY26

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
• Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
• Will pass within 18,277,593 km of Earth in 2080
• Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

2017 PY26 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2017 PY26 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 PY26 orbits the sun every 755 days (2.07 years), coming as close as 0.62 AU and reaching as far as 2.62 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2017 PY26 is probably between 0.085 to 0.190 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2017 PY26's orbit is 0.01 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.

2017 PY26 has 1 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

NASA Sentry has assessed impact risk for 14 very close approach scenarios. Here are the top scenarios ordered by probability of impact:

Images and Observations

2017 PY26's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Aug. 15, 2017. It was last officially observed on Aug. 19, 2017. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 55 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 PY26:

• 4953 (1990 MU)
• 5879 Almeria (1992 CH1)
• 6569 Ondaatje (1993 MO)

References

• JPL Small Body Database
• Mission Design
• Sky Finder Chart

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2017 PY26 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 PY26 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.