2017 UP2

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2017 UP2

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 27,215,632 km of Earth in 2020
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2017 UP2 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2017 UP2 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 UP2 orbits the sun every 1,110 days (3.04 years), coming as close as 0.80 AU and reaching as far as 3.41 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2017 UP2 is probably between 0.246 to 0.550 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2017 UP2's orbit is 0.14 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 UP2 has 10 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Dec. 29, 2020 27,215,632 13.959
Feb. 12, 2024 21,729,738 15.673
Nov. 9, 2075 24,840,059 13.456
Jan. 9, 2079 24,193,035 13.513
Nov. 18, 2130 26,744,140 13.542
Jan. 7, 2134 26,363,738 13.876
Feb. 18, 2137 24,910,364 16.773
Oct. 30, 2185 25,040,727 14.731
Dec. 28, 2188 25,532,755 13.621
Feb. 21, 2192 27,509,228 17.398

Images and Observations

2017 UP2's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 17, 2017. It was last officially observed on April 8, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 146 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 UP2:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.101 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.6216
  • Inclination: 11.12°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 274.86°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 172.12°
  • Mean Anomaly: 321.92°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.317 km
  • Magnitude: 20.17

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,110 days (3.04 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 20.59 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.41 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.80 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2017 UP2 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 UP2 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.