Key Facts
- Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
- Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
- Will pass within 17,212,213 km of Earth in 2025
- Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
- Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
- See orbit simulation
Overview
2002 EM7 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2002 EM7 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.
2002 EM7 orbits the sun every 323 days (0.88 years), coming as close as 0.59 AU and reaching as far as 1.26 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2002 EM7 is probably between 0.023 to 0.103 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.
Close Approaches
2002 EM7's orbit is 0.00 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is very close to Earth's orbit.
2002 EM7 has 15 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
|---|---|---|
| March 13, 2025 | 17,212,213 | 7.459 |
| June 26, 2026 | 16,922,337 | 7.506 |
| June 27, 2034 | 22,010,228 | 14.668 |
| March 8, 2040 | 7,130,252 | 11.746 |
| March 21, 2048 | 23,000,207 | 7.308 |
| June 30, 2049 | 11,627,893 | 8.285 |
| June 28, 2057 | 17,043,130 | 13.669 |
| March 11, 2063 | 18,938,134 | 14.185 |
| March 9, 2071 | 10,713,294 | 8.322 |
| June 17, 2072 | 23,612,699 | 7.242 |
| June 29, 2080 | 11,802,815 | 12.543 |
| March 10, 2086 | 16,040,509 | 13.569 |
| July 1, 2095 | 7,526,104 | 9.064 |
| March 9, 2109 | 4,711,593 | 9.394 |
| June 29, 2118 | 16,395,886 | 13.511 |
NASA Sentry has assessed impact risk for 1 very close approach scenarios. Here are the top scenarios ordered by probability of impact:
| Date | Probability of Impact (%) | Impact Energy (Mt) |
|---|---|---|
| March 9, 2117 | 0.00000 | 3.325 |
Images and Observations
2002 EM7's orbit is determined by observations dating back to March 12, 2002. It was last officially observed on April 6, 2002. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 69 observations used to determine its orbit.
Accessibility and Exploration
2002 EM7 can be reached with a journey of 370 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 10.992 km/s. To put this into perspective, the delta-v to launch a rocket to Low-Earth Orbit is 9.7 km/s. There are 2,983 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.
See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2002 EM7.
Similar Objects
These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2002 EM7:References
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or view a random objectOrbital Elements
- Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
- Semi-major axis: 0.9209 AU
- Eccentricity: 0.3633
- Inclination: 1.56°
- Longitude of Ascending Node: 345.93°
- Argument of Periapsis: 59.0°
- Mean Anomaly: 205.68°
Physical Characteristics
- Diameter: ~0.063 km
- Magnitude: 24.4
Derived Characteristics
- Orbit Period: 323 days (0.88 years)
- Avg. Orbit Speed: 31.02 km/s
- Aphelion Distance: 1.26 AU
- Perihelion Distance: 0.59 AU
Map Comparison
Orbit Simulation
Sky Map
The position of 2002 EM7 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 2002 EM7 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.
