20236 (1998 BZ7)

Small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 20236 (1998 BZ7)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 10,122,907 km of Earth in 2027
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

20236 (1998 BZ7) is a small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 1998 BZ7 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

1998 BZ7 orbits the sun every 1,060 days (2.90 years), coming as close as 0.89 AU and reaching as far as 3.17 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 1998 BZ7 is probably between 0.763 to 1.706 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than ~97% of asteroids but small compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge.

The rotation of 1998 BZ7 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 10.18 hours.

Close Approaches

1998 BZ7's orbit is 0.05 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.

1998 BZ7 has 7 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
June 12, 2027 10,122,907 11.064
April 10, 2056 22,569,408 9.821
June 25, 2082 12,396,930 14.324
March 4, 2085 17,617,537 13.827
June 1, 2114 15,014,387 9.767
June 13, 2146 9,422,786 10.919
May 18, 2175 20,951,736 9.843

Images and Observations

1998 BZ7's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Jan. 24, 1998. It was last officially observed on Oct. 4, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 343 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 1998 BZ7:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.034 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5608
  • Inclination: 6.51°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 111.24°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 104.55°
  • Mean Anomaly: 266.79°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.985 km
  • Magnitude: 17.71

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,060 days (2.90 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 20.88 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.17 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.89 AU
  • Rotation Period: 10.18 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 20236 (1998 BZ7) 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 1998 BZ7 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.