2017 XN61

Very small Amor-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Amor-class Asteroids » 2017 XN61

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Amor-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a basketball court
  • Will pass within 26,443,017 km of Earth in 2025
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2017 XN61 is a very small asteroid whose orbit approaches the orbit of Earth but does not cross it. NASA JPL has classified 2017 XN61 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 XN61 orbits the sun every 504 days (1.38 years), coming as close as 1.14 AU and reaching as far as 1.34 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2017 XN61 is probably between 0.058 to 0.261 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a basketball court.

Close Approaches

2017 XN61's orbit is 0.17 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 XN61 has 10 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
May 9, 2025 26,443,017 2.542
March 15, 2036 26,625,351 1.051
May 14, 2065 26,851,265 2.732
March 22, 2076 26,428,979 0.912
May 17, 2105 27,011,465 2.807
March 25, 2116 26,398,305 0.916
May 16, 2145 26,821,224 2.766
March 22, 2156 26,540,585 0.962
May 12, 2185 26,383,833 2.612
March 14, 2196 26,865,319 1.129

Images and Observations

2017 XN61's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 31, 2003. It was last officially observed on Sept. 13, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 68 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2017 XN61 can be reached with a journey of 402 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 9.339 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 16,172 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2017 XN61.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2017 XN61:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.239 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0795
  • Inclination: 5.43°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 90.17°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 88.18°
  • Mean Anomaly: 332.17°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.160 km
  • Magnitude: 22.37

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 504 days (1.38 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 26.74 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.34 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.14 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2017 XN61 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 XN61 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.