2017 RO17

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
• Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
• Will pass within 7,989,877 km of Earth in 2022
• Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

2017 RO17 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2017 RO17 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 RO17 orbits the sun every 297 days (0.81 years), coming as close as 0.54 AU and reaching as far as 1.20 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2017 RO17 is probably between 0.010 to 0.047 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2017 RO17'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 RO17 has 41 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Images and Observations

2017 RO17's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 14, 2017. It was last officially observed on Sept. 22, 2017. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 12 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2017 RO17 can be reached with a journey of 362 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 11.59 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 208 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2017 RO17.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2017 RO17:

• 137924 (2000 BD19)
• 152637 (1997 NC1)
• 152742 (1998 XE12)

References

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

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2017 RO17 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 RO17 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.