162980 (2001 RR17)

Small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 162980 (2001 RR17)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge (0.79 km diameter)
  • Will pass within 29,713,907 km of Earth in 2045
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

162980 (2001 RR17) is a small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2001 RR17 as a "Near Earth Asteroid" due to its orbit's proximity to Earth, but it is not considered potentially hazardous because computer simulations have not indicated any imminent likelihood of future collision.

2001 RR17 orbits the sun every 707 days (1.94 years), coming as close as 0.79 AU and reaching as far as 2.31 AU from the sun. 2001 RR17 is about 0.8 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than ~97% of asteroids but small compared to large asteroids, comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge.

The rotation of 2001 RR17 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 12.71 hours.

Close Approaches

2001 RR17's orbit is 0.20 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.

2001 RR17 has 3 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
March 17, 2045 29,713,907 21.202
March 23, 2105 29,832,610 21.287
March 18, 2196 29,515,951 21.222

Images and Observations

2001 RR17's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 16, 1976. It was last officially observed on Nov. 21, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 1,036 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 2001 RR17:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.553 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4886
  • Inclination: 30.4°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 177.61°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 351.5°
  • Mean Anomaly: 323.1°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 0.79000 km
  • Magnitude: 16.77
  • Albedo: 0.658

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 707 days (1.94 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 23.90 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.31 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.79 AU
  • Rotation Period: 12.71 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 162980 (2001 RR17) 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 2001 RR17 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.