2021 KA17

Very small Aten-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Aten-class Asteroids » 2021 KA17

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a basketball court
  • Will pass within 5,632,150 km of Earth in 2021
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2021 KA17 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2021 KA17 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2021 KA17 orbits the sun every 344 days (0.94 years), coming as close as 0.61 AU and reaching as far as 1.31 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2021 KA17 is probably between 0.108 to 0.242 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a basketball court.

Close Approaches

2021 KA17's orbit is 0.04 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.

2021 KA17 has 21 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
May 25, 2021 5,632,150 10.617
Oct. 6, 2024 15,550,415 8.473
May 31, 2037 23,644,906 15.428
May 30, 2038 25,815,917 7.003
Oct. 6, 2041 9,108,139 10.561
May 24, 2055 8,087,925 9.821
Oct. 7, 2058 19,327,925 7.710
May 24, 2072 5,950,180 10.520
Oct. 7, 2075 15,598,289 8.460
May 26, 2088 7,938,611 11.992
May 31, 2104 23,614,753 15.373
Sept. 30, 2108 20,159,128 14.428
June 1, 2120 26,938,206 16.063
May 31, 2121 25,584,015 6.971
Oct. 3, 2124 12,926,307 12.728
May 25, 2137 8,837,310 9.639
Oct. 7, 2140 11,075,941 9.602
May 27, 2153 7,114,669 11.736
Oct. 5, 2156 22,963,529 7.072
May 25, 2169 17,219,470 7.899
May 26, 2183 7,513,498 9.984

Images and Observations

2021 KA17's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 31, 2021. It was last officially observed on July 18, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 98 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 2021 KA17:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 0.9609 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.3662
  • Inclination: 6.11°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 45.25°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 81.16°
  • Mean Anomaly: 236.29°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.140 km
  • Magnitude: 21.95

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 344 days (0.94 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 30.39 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.31 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.61 AU

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

⧉

Sky Map

The position of 2021 KA17 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 2021 KA17 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.