613450 (2006 PY17)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 613450 (2006 PY17)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
  • Will pass within 6,738,404 km of Earth in 2033
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

613450 (2006 PY17) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2006 PY17 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2006 PY17 orbits the sun every 953 days (2.61 years), coming as close as 0.68 AU and reaching as far as 3.11 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2006 PY17 is probably between 0.367 to 0.820 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

2006 PY17'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.

2006 PY17 has 13 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Feb. 27, 2033 6,738,404 16.213
Sept. 20, 2040 15,575,979 20.150
March 9, 2046 18,003,951 20.850
Sept. 30, 2053 9,762,231 15.818
Feb. 18, 2106 21,578,730 13.359
March 2, 2119 5,939,772 16.477
Sept. 19, 2126 23,775,411 21.892
March 3, 2132 4,447,513 17.151
Sept. 19, 2139 26,853,368 22.455
March 2, 2145 5,777,225 16.570
Sept. 17, 2152 29,375,411 22.981
March 1, 2158 6,683,454 16.308
Feb. 21, 2171 19,090,601 13.732

Images and Observations

2006 PY17's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Aug. 15, 2006. It was last officially observed on May 22, 2020. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 189 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 2006 PY17:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.896 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.6402
  • Inclination: 2.85°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 309.93°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 133.16°
  • Mean Anomaly: 152.68°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.474 km
  • Magnitude: 19.3

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 953 days (2.61 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 21.64 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.11 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.68 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 613450 (2006 PY17) 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 2006 PY17 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.