2017 FX101

Very small Aten-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Aten-class Asteroids » 2017 FX101

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 18,928,146 km of Earth in 2024
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2017 FX101 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2017 FX101 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.

2017 FX101 orbits the sun every 332 days (0.91 years), coming as close as 0.61 AU and reaching as far as 1.27 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2017 FX101 is probably between 0.015 to 0.065 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2017 FX101's orbit is 0.02 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.

2017 FX101 has 26 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Dec. 7, 2024 18,928,146 14.530
April 5, 2027 13,954,554 8.310
March 24, 2037 25,610,739 7.316
Dec. 21, 2045 29,131,468 7.393
Dec. 6, 2055 17,515,049 7.758
April 1, 2058 19,700,006 14.816
Dec. 3, 2065 6,953,732 10.154
April 3, 2068 8,142,135 12.434
Dec. 4, 2075 8,021,986 9.776
April 3, 2078 13,163,231 13.482
Dec. 4, 2085 13,498,740 8.487
April 1, 2088 18,424,394 14.562
Dec. 7, 2095 19,093,729 7.561
March 31, 2098 26,147,080 16.180
Dec. 16, 2105 25,154,599 7.241
March 27, 2137 24,316,831 7.339
Dec. 11, 2144 28,019,268 16.483
April 3, 2147 18,634,162 7.650
Dec. 9, 2154 19,561,997 14.668
April 6, 2157 11,268,417 8.778
Dec. 8, 2164 16,502,201 13.964
April 7, 2167 7,756,631 9.417
Dec. 8, 2174 13,694,123 13.337
April 6, 2177 6,914,735 9.568
Dec. 9, 2184 23,018,749 15.400
April 4, 2187 16,984,880 7.837

Images and Observations

2017 FX101's orbit is determined by observations dating back to March 22, 2017. It was last officially observed on April 5, 2017. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 72 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2017 FX101 can be reached with a journey of 370 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 11.65 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 11 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2017 FX101.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2017 FX101:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 0.939 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.3481
  • Inclination: 3.5°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 30.41°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 284.56°
  • Mean Anomaly: 304.51°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.040 km
  • Magnitude: 25.38

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 332 days (0.91 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 30.77 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.27 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.61 AU

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

⧉

Sky Map

The position of 2017 FX101 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 2017 FX101 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.