2017 SY32

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2017 SY32

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 23,726,231 km of Earth in 2019
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2017 SY32 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2017 SY32 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2017 SY32 orbits the sun every 449 days (1.23 years), coming as close as 0.65 AU and reaching as far as 1.65 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2017 SY32 is probably between 0.159 to 0.356 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2017 SY32'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 SY32 has 19 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
April 28, 2019 23,726,231 15.966
Nov. 2, 2028 12,055,377 17.307
Oct. 26, 2044 14,660,119 20.666
May 9, 2046 11,928,395 19.648
April 28, 2062 22,242,430 16.154
Nov. 2, 2071 10,472,966 17.529
Oct. 26, 2087 16,276,224 20.948
May 8, 2089 11,221,468 19.449
May 3, 2105 14,735,796 17.189
Nov. 10, 2114 29,696,233 15.197
April 29, 2121 22,448,525 16.151
Nov. 9, 2130 27,572,483 15.403
April 30, 2137 20,234,884 16.424
May 4, 2153 11,930,441 17.728
Oct. 26, 2167 19,515,929 21.502
May 9, 2169 11,023,603 19.386
Oct. 31, 2183 7,200,330 19.343
May 14, 2185 21,197,323 21.414
Nov. 2, 2199 6,594,740 18.208

Images and Observations

2017 SY32's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 28, 2017. It was last officially observed on June 27, 2019. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 64 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 SY32:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.147 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4369
  • Inclination: 26.04°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 220.43°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 271.05°
  • Mean Anomaly: 247.83°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.206 km
  • Magnitude: 21.11

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 449 days (1.23 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 27.79 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.65 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.65 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2017 SY32 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 SY32 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.