526878 (2007 FE)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 526878 (2007 FE)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
  • Will pass within 24,777,300 km of Earth in 2031
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

526878 (2007 FE) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2007 FE as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2007 FE orbits the sun every 877 days (2.40 years), coming as close as 0.97 AU and reaching as far as 2.61 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2007 FE is probably between 0.354 to 0.791 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

2007 FE's orbit is 0.03 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 FE has 8 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
April 26, 2031 24,777,300 11.344
May 4, 2043 20,063,140 9.645
May 9, 2055 18,596,197 8.931
May 7, 2067 19,033,311 9.134
May 1, 2079 21,966,027 10.310
Aug. 1, 2146 22,468,261 13.210
July 20, 2158 4,598,284 9.665
July 25, 2170 9,840,487 10.837

Images and Observations

2007 FE's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Feb. 4, 2002. It was last officially observed on Oct. 27, 2019. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 145 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 FE:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.793 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.457
  • Inclination: 7.0°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 122.62°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 135.2°
  • Mean Anomaly: 286.27°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.457 km
  • Magnitude: 19.38

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 877 days (2.40 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 22.24 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.61 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.97 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 526878 (2007 FE) 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 FE 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.