247517 (2002 QY6)

Very small Aten-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Aten-class Asteroids » 247517 (2002 QY6)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field (0.27 km diameter)
  • Will pass within 26,171,827 km of Earth in 2024
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

247517 (2002 QY6) is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2002 QY6 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.

2002 QY6 orbits the sun every 270 days (0.74 years), coming as close as 0.25 AU and reaching as far as 1.39 AU from the sun. 2002 QY6 is about 0.3 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2002 QY6's orbit is 0.11 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.

2002 QY6 has 27 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Aug. 3, 2024 26,171,827 23.978
Oct. 5, 2025 20,515,887 18.293
Aug. 2, 2027 26,996,836 17.623
Sept. 30, 2028 27,898,387 25.257
Aug. 1, 2041 21,563,833 22.134
Oct. 5, 2042 16,588,483 19.706
Aug. 1, 2058 20,471,593 21.350
Oct. 5, 2059 16,036,549 20.341
Aug. 2, 2075 20,526,035 21.420
Oct. 5, 2076 16,161,907 20.197
Aug. 1, 2092 21,093,487 21.892
Oct. 5, 2093 16,647,567 19.774
Aug. 3, 2109 21,488,814 22.159
Oct. 6, 2110 16,971,568 19.603
Aug. 3, 2126 20,486,191 21.498
Oct. 7, 2127 16,268,341 20.255
Aug. 3, 2143 19,973,871 20.240
Oct. 5, 2144 17,027,296 21.525
Oct. 5, 2158 28,613,747 16.943
Aug. 2, 2160 20,840,332 19.446
Oct. 5, 2161 18,876,302 22.417
Oct. 5, 2175 27,971,427 17.046
Aug. 2, 2177 20,960,816 19.365
Oct. 5, 2178 19,062,028 22.483
Oct. 4, 2192 29,374,319 16.883
Aug. 2, 2194 20,365,363 19.710
Oct. 6, 2195 18,053,165 22.013

Images and Observations

2002 QY6's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Aug. 16, 2002. It was last officially observed on Oct. 2, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 479 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 2002 QY6:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 0.817 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.6991
  • Inclination: 12.75°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 164.2°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 355.39°
  • Mean Anomaly: 353.99°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 0.26900 km
  • Magnitude: 19.72
  • Albedo: 0.357

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 270 days (0.74 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 32.92 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.39 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.25 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 247517 (2002 QY6) 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 2002 QY6 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.