2017 UH5 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2017 UH5 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 UH5 orbits the sun every 550 days (1.51 years), coming as close as 1.01 AU and reaching as far as 1.61 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2017 UH5 is probably between 0.008 to 0.037 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.
2017 UH5's orbit is 0.02 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 UH5 has 11 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
|---|---|---|
| Oct. 21, 2020 | 3,553,688 | 6.062 |
| Oct. 29, 2023 | 9,955,084 | 6.967 |
| Nov. 5, 2026 | 22,974,758 | 8.979 |
| Sept. 21, 2100 | 21,639,632 | 6.860 |
| Oct. 7, 2103 | 12,488,609 | 5.847 |
| Oct. 14, 2106 | 7,374,963 | 5.721 |
| Oct. 13, 2109 | 7,787,416 | 5.718 |
| Oct. 5, 2112 | 12,976,420 | 5.914 |
| Sept. 22, 2115 | 21,731,174 | 6.878 |
| Nov. 10, 2194 | 28,555,104 | 9.908 |
| Nov. 4, 2197 | 16,593,516 | 7.902 |
2017 UH5's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 22, 2017. It was last officially observed on Oct. 29, 2020. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 64 observations used to determine its orbit.
2017 UH5 can be reached with a journey of 186 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 9.731 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 852 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.
See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2017 UH5.
The position of 2017 UH5 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.