474231 (2001 HZ7)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 474231 (2001 HZ7)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
  • Will pass within 27,233,861 km of Earth in 2034
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

474231 (2001 HZ7) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2001 HZ7 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2001 HZ7 orbits the sun every 651 days (1.78 years), coming as close as 0.74 AU and reaching as far as 2.20 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2001 HZ7 is probably between 0.265 to 0.592 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.

The rotation of 2001 HZ7 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 65.00 hours.

Close Approaches

2001 HZ7'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.

2001 HZ7 has 14 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Oct. 15, 2034 27,233,861 18.415
Oct. 23, 2050 11,849,272 13.935
March 10, 2058 19,907,886 10.427
Nov. 12, 2066 24,730,838 9.586
March 28, 2074 7,613,896 14.093
Oct. 25, 2107 12,367,763 14.241
March 7, 2115 22,855,423 10.253
Nov. 9, 2123 21,576,271 10.026
March 28, 2131 7,350,117 13.609
April 8, 2147 25,179,716 18.304
Oct. 18, 2164 22,398,113 17.271
Oct. 27, 2180 12,004,399 13.315
March 10, 2188 21,101,025 10.349
Nov. 9, 2196 22,215,595 9.931

Images and Observations

2001 HZ7's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 21, 2001. It was last officially observed on May 19, 2017. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 263 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 2001 HZ7:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.47 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4983
  • Inclination: 5.43°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 156.29°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 312.87°
  • Mean Anomaly: 251.1°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.342 km
  • Magnitude: 20.01

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 651 days (1.78 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 24.57 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.20 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.74 AU
  • Rotation Period: 65.00 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 474231 (2001 HZ7) 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 2001 HZ7 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.