35670 (1998 SU27)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 35670 (1998 SU27)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
  • Will pass within 18,519,664 km of Earth in 2032
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

35670 (1998 SU27) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 1998 SU27 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.

1998 SU27 orbits the sun every 1,130 days (3.09 years), coming as close as 0.86 AU and reaching as far as 3.39 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 1998 SU27 is probably between 0.324 to 0.725 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.

1998 SU27's spectral type None (Tholen) / Sq (SMASSII) indicates that it is likely to contain and .

Close Approaches

1998 SU27's orbit is 0.07 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.

1998 SU27 has 8 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Dec. 21, 2032 18,519,664 11.224
Oct. 14, 2063 29,060,806 16.948
Jan. 23, 2067 10,777,531 12.095
Nov. 16, 2097 17,468,440 11.180
Dec. 26, 2131 16,956,031 11.012
Nov. 4, 2162 15,315,220 12.056
Feb. 9, 2166 20,456,587 15.756
Dec. 4, 2196 18,314,315 11.111

Images and Observations

1998 SU27's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 24, 1998. It was last officially observed on Feb. 13, 2002. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 119 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 1998 SU27:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.122 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5964
  • Inclination: 7.14°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 271.34°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 169.83°
  • Mean Anomaly: 2.96°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.418 km
  • Magnitude: 19.57
  • Spectral type (SMASS): Sq

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,130 days (3.09 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 20.43 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.39 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.86 AU
  • Approx. Composition: and .

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

⧉

Sky Map

The position of 35670 (1998 SU27) 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 1998 SU27 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.