Key Facts
- Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
- Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge (0.58 km diameter)
- Will pass within 28,075,948 km of Earth in 2021
- Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
- Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
- See orbit simulation
Overview
363027 (1998 ST27) is a small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 1998 ST27 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.
1998 ST27 orbits the sun every 271 days (0.74 years), coming as close as 0.39 AU and reaching as far as 1.25 AU from the sun. 1998 ST27 is about 0.6 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than ~97% of asteroids but small compared to large asteroids, comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge.
The rotation of 1998 ST27 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 3.00 hours.
Close Approaches
1998 ST27'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.
1998 ST27 has 18 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
|---|---|---|
| Oct. 7, 2021 | 28,075,948 | 13.903 |
| Oct. 12, 2024 | 3,561,149 | 16.630 |
| Oct. 9, 2027 | 22,527,187 | 21.228 |
| Oct. 12, 2047 | 11,254,744 | 15.491 |
| Oct. 10, 2050 | 13,764,042 | 19.569 |
| Oct. 10, 2070 | 19,403,647 | 14.532 |
| Oct. 11, 2073 | 5,062,907 | 17.951 |
| Oct. 10, 2093 | 19,285,630 | 14.552 |
| Oct. 11, 2096 | 6,640,309 | 18.246 |
| Oct. 12, 2116 | 13,347,315 | 15.207 |
| Oct. 12, 2119 | 13,548,853 | 19.485 |
| Oct. 14, 2139 | 6,295,543 | 16.202 |
| Oct. 11, 2142 | 20,370,727 | 20.792 |
| Oct. 8, 2159 | 29,569,363 | 13.839 |
| Oct. 14, 2162 | 6,461,555 | 16.161 |
| Oct. 11, 2165 | 19,181,759 | 20.545 |
| Oct. 13, 2185 | 13,489,335 | 15.188 |
| Oct. 12, 2188 | 11,424,493 | 19.091 |
Images and Observations
1998 ST27's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 24, 1998. It was last officially observed on Oct. 15, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 593 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 ST27:References
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or view a random objectOrbital Elements
- Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
- Semi-major axis: 0.8194 AU
- Eccentricity: 0.5299
- Inclination: 21.06°
- Longitude of Ascending Node: 197.53°
- Argument of Periapsis: 322.49°
- Mean Anomaly: 105.66°
Physical Characteristics
- Diameter: 0.57800 km
- Magnitude: 19.64
- Albedo: 0.059
Derived Characteristics
- Orbit Period: 271 days (0.74 years)
- Avg. Orbit Speed: 32.89 km/s
- Aphelion Distance: 1.25 AU
- Perihelion Distance: 0.39 AU
- Rotation Period: 3.00 hours
Map Comparison
Orbit Simulation
Sky Map
The position of 363027 (1998 ST27) 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 above comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 1998 ST27 to create an approximate landscape rendering with Mount Everest in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.
