Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 24,736,965 km of Earth in 2021
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

533372 (2014 GG17) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2014 GG17 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2014 GG17 orbits the sun every 584 days (1.60 years), coming as close as 0.89 AU and reaching as far as 1.85 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2014 GG17 is probably between 0.246 to 0.550 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2014 GG17's orbit is 0.02 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.

2014 GG17 has 8 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Oct. 2, 2021 24,736,965 24.416
Oct. 16, 2128 22,611,030 21.045
Oct. 14, 2136 16,912,085 21.282
Oct. 13, 2144 13,271,378 21.458
Oct. 13, 2152 12,020,393 21.522
Oct. 13, 2160 13,738,943 21.434
Oct. 14, 2168 17,992,233 21.224
Oct. 16, 2176 24,010,825 20.986

Images and Observations

2014 GG17's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 4, 2014. It was last officially observed on April 28, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 142 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 2014 GG17:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.367 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.3524
  • Inclination: 39.15°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 195.28°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 239.56°
  • Mean Anomaly: 51.16°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.317 km
  • Magnitude: 20.17

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 584 days (1.60 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 25.47 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.85 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.89 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 533372 (2014 GG17) 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 2014 GG17 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.