89959 (2002 NT7)

Mid-sized Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 89959 (2002 NT7)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Pentagon (1.41 km diameter)
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

89959 (2002 NT7) is a mid-sized asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2002 NT7 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2002 NT7 orbits the sun every 835 days (2.29 years), coming as close as 0.82 AU and reaching as far as 2.65 AU from the sun. 2002 NT7 is about 1.4 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the U.S. Pentagon.

The rotation of 2002 NT7 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 5.53 hours.

No Close Approaches

2002 NT7's orbit is 0.00 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.

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

Images and Observations

2002 NT7's orbit is determined by observations dating back to July 10, 1954. It was last officially observed on Aug. 30, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 1,635 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 2002 NT7:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.735 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5284
  • Inclination: 42.35°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 132.02°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 300.68°
  • Mean Anomaly: 34.19°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 1.40700 km
  • Magnitude: 16.58
  • Albedo: 0.224

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 835 days (2.29 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 22.61 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.65 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.82 AU
  • Rotation Period: 5.53 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 89959 (2002 NT7) 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 above comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 2002 NT7 to create an approximate landscape rendering with Mount Everest in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.