251722 (1997 US2)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 251722 (1997 US2)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
  • Will pass within 24,814,499 km of Earth in 2166
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

251722 (1997 US2) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 1997 US2 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

1997 US2 orbits the sun every 792 days (2.17 years), coming as close as 0.57 AU and reaching as far as 2.78 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 1997 US2 is probably between 0.284 to 0.634 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building.

Close Approaches

1997 US2's orbit is 0.01 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.

1997 US2 has 3 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Dec. 17, 2166 24,814,499 15.085
Dec. 16, 2179 21,490,873 15.730
Dec. 15, 2192 21,743,228 15.699

Images and Observations

1997 US2's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 23, 1997. It was last officially observed on July 19, 2013. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 172 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 1997 US2:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.675 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.6608
  • Inclination: 3.17°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 65.89°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 100.33°
  • Mean Anomaly: 293.74°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.366 km
  • Magnitude: 19.86

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 792 days (2.17 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 23.01 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.78 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.57 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 251722 (1997 US2) 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 1997 US2 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.