363344 (2002 QC7)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 363344 (2002 QC7)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
  • Will pass within 26,584,247 km of Earth in 2031
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

363344 (2002 QC7) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2002 QC7 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 QC7 orbits the sun every 462 days (1.26 years), coming as close as 0.94 AU and reaching as far as 1.40 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2002 QC7 is probably between 0.269 to 0.603 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

2002 QC7's orbit is 0.05 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 QC7 has 9 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Feb. 13, 2031 26,584,247 16.297
March 8, 2036 26,949,588 15.765
Feb. 21, 2055 11,157,003 15.362
Feb. 25, 2079 7,613,424 15.157
March 5, 2103 18,183,693 15.351
Feb. 18, 2122 18,429,874 15.743
Feb. 25, 2146 7,434,858 15.192
March 4, 2170 14,922,816 15.251
Feb. 17, 2189 20,509,501 15.880

Images and Observations

2002 QC7's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Aug. 19, 2002. It was last officially observed on March 26, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 177 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 QC7:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.169 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.196
  • Inclination: 26.81°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 336.02°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 184.48°
  • Mean Anomaly: 42.69°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.348 km
  • Magnitude: 19.97

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 462 days (1.26 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 27.53 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.40 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.94 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 363344 (2002 QC7) 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 QC7 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.