Key Facts

Overview

7402 (1987 YH) is a large asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter in the main portion of the asteroid belt. NASA JPL has not classified 1987 YH as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

1987 YH orbits the sun every 1,690 days (4.63 years), coming as close as 2.21 AU and reaching as far as 3.35 AU from the sun. 1987 YH is about 13.2 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Cleveland, Ohio.

1987 YH's spectral type None (Tholen) / Ch (SMASSII) indicates that it is likely to contain water, iron, nickel, cobalt, nitrogen, and ammonia.

No Close Approaches

1987 YH's orbit is 1.24 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is an extremely wide berth between this asteroid and Earth at all times.

Orbital simulations conducted by NASA JPL's CNEOS do not show any close approaches to Earth.

Images and Observations

1987 YH's orbit is determined by observations dating back to March 9, 1956. It was last officially observed on June 27, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 2,980 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 1987 YH:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.778 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.2043
  • Inclination: 8.23°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 150.89°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 292.7°
  • Mean Anomaly: 265.97°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 13.16400 km
  • Magnitude: 13.29
  • Albedo: 0.037
  • Spectral type (SMASS): Ch

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,690 days (4.63 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 17.88 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.35 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.21 AU
  • Approx. Composition: water, iron, nickel, cobalt, nitrogen, and ammonia.

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 7402 (1987 YH) 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.