Key Facts
- Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
- Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
- Will pass within 16,317,914 km of Earth in 2025
- Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
- Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
- See orbit simulation
Overview
2017 UA45 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2017 UA45 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 UA45 orbits the sun every 324 days (0.89 years), coming as close as 0.77 AU and reaching as far as 1.08 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2017 UA45 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 UA45's orbit is 0.00 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.
2017 UA45 has 12 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
|---|---|---|
| Dec. 22, 2025 | 16,317,914 | 4.064 |
| March 6, 2026 | 20,839,402 | 3.471 |
| Feb. 3, 2034 | 12,173,975 | 6.509 |
| Oct. 13, 2040 | 17,192,617 | 8.732 |
| Oct. 19, 2048 | 7,030,972 | 4.269 |
| Jan. 21, 2057 | 13,519,054 | 3.543 |
| Jan. 30, 2065 | 23,645,358 | 9.548 |
| Oct. 14, 2071 | 1,434,718 | 5.163 |
| Oct. 13, 2078 | 19,160,469 | 9.161 |
| Jan. 29, 2087 | 18,538,163 | 8.327 |
| Oct. 14, 2107 | 17,587,428 | 8.876 |
| Oct. 12, 2129 | 1,834,925 | 5.847 |
NASA Sentry has assessed impact risk for 11 very close approach scenarios. Here are the top scenarios ordered by probability of impact:
| Date | Probability of Impact (%) | Impact Energy (Mt) |
|---|---|---|
| Oct. 14, 2119 | 0.00059 | 0.261 |
| Oct. 14, 2119 | 0.00013 | 0.2611 |
| Oct. 13, 2112 | 0.00010 | 0.2612 |
| Oct. 14, 2106 | 0.00002 | 0.2603 |
| Oct. 13, 2120 | 0.00001 | 0.2601 |
| Oct. 14, 2106 | 0.00001 | 0.2598 |
| Oct. 14, 2121 | 0.00001 | 0.2603 |
| Oct. 14, 2099 | 0.00001 | 0.2594 |
| Oct. 14, 2111 | 0.00000 | 0.2607 |
| Oct. 14, 2115 | 0.00000 | 0.2601 |
| Oct. 14, 2118 | 0.00000 | 0.2596 |
Images and Observations
2017 UA45's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 27, 2017. It was last officially observed on Dec. 11, 2017. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 39 observations used to determine its orbit.
Accessibility and Exploration
2017 UA45 can be reached with a journey of 338 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 7.004 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 177,782 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.
See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2017 UA45.
Similar Objects
These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2017 UA45:References
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or view a random objectOrbital Elements
- Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
- Semi-major axis: 0.9225 AU
- Eccentricity: 0.1671
- Inclination: 4.21°
- Longitude of Ascending Node: 202.04°
- Argument of Periapsis: 50.57°
- Mean Anomaly: 358.82°
Physical Characteristics
- Diameter: ~0.029 km
- Magnitude: 26.1
Derived Characteristics
- Orbit Period: 324 days (0.89 years)
- Avg. Orbit Speed: 30.98 km/s
- Aphelion Distance: 1.08 AU
- Perihelion Distance: 0.77 AU
Map Comparison
Orbit Simulation
Sky Map
The position of 2017 UA45 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 UA45 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.
