406213 (2007 AB2)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 406213 (2007 AB2)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 8,351,222 km of Earth in 2022
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

406213 (2007 AB2) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2007 AB2 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2007 AB2 orbits the sun every 971 days (2.66 years), coming as close as 0.87 AU and reaching as far as 2.97 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2007 AB2 is probably between 0.227 to 0.508 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

The rotation of 2007 AB2 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 8.55 hours.

Close Approaches

2007 AB2's orbit is 0.01 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.

2007 AB2 has 10 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Sept. 28, 2022 8,351,222 10.047
Sept. 11, 2030 11,854,475 13.910
Jan. 5, 2084 10,898,998 13.733
Dec. 15, 2091 9,891,588 9.742
Nov. 1, 2099 17,769,404 9.562
Sept. 27, 2107 6,054,328 10.527
Sept. 13, 2115 12,279,298 13.924
Jan. 8, 2177 14,896,328 14.544
Dec. 26, 2184 3,951,334 10.836
Oct. 28, 2192 17,279,171 9.509

Images and Observations

2007 AB2's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Jan. 10, 2007. It was last officially observed on March 1, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 703 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 2007 AB2:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.919 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5457
  • Inclination: 1.46°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 126.85°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 280.9°
  • Mean Anomaly: 117.56°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.293 km
  • Magnitude: 20.34

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 971 days (2.66 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 21.50 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.97 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.87 AU
  • Rotation Period: 8.55 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 406213 (2007 AB2) 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 2007 AB2 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.