17718 (1997 XZ)

Mid-sized Main-belt Asteroid

Space Reference » Main-belt Asteroids » 17718 (1997 XZ)

Key Facts

Overview

17718 (1997 XZ) is a mid-sized asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter in the main portion of the asteroid belt. NASA JPL has not classified 1997 XZ as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

1997 XZ orbits the sun every 1,370 days (3.75 years), coming as close as 2.16 AU and reaching as far as 2.67 AU from the sun. 1997 XZ is about 5.7 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay.

No Close Approaches

1997 XZ's orbit is 1.16 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

1997 XZ's orbit is determined by observations dating back to March 11, 1991. It was last officially observed on Nov. 21, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 2,255 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 1997 XZ:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.414 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1052
  • Inclination: 2.23°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 337.83°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 210.92°
  • Mean Anomaly: 233.88°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 5.72500 km
  • Magnitude: 15.17
  • Albedo: 0.055

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,370 days (3.75 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 19.17 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.67 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.16 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 17718 (1997 XZ) 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 1997 XZ 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.