2017 UN7

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Amor-class Asteroid
• Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
• Will pass within 26,290,205 km of Earth in 2021
• Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

2017 UN7 is a very small asteroid whose orbit approaches the orbit of Earth but does not cross it. NASA JPL has classified 2017 UN7 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 UN7 orbits the sun every 483 days (1.32 years), coming as close as 1.04 AU and reaching as far as 1.37 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2017 UN7 is probably between 0.013 to 0.056 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2017 UN7's orbit is 0.07 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 UN7 has 3 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Images and Observations

2017 UN7's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 25, 2017. It was last officially observed on Nov. 25, 2017. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 35 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2017 UN7 can be reached with a journey of 378 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 8.852 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 6,622 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2017 UN7.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2017 UN7:

• 3361 Orpheus (1982 HR)
• 66407 (1999 LQ28)
• 87024 (2000 JS66)

References

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

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2017 UN7 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 UN7 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.