53110 (1999 AR7)

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Amor-class Asteroid
• Comparable in size to Mount Everest
• Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

53110 (1999 AR7) is a mid-sized asteroid whose orbit approaches the orbit of Earth but does not cross it. NASA JPL has classified 1999 AR7 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.

1999 AR7 orbits the sun every 770 days (2.11 years), coming as close as 1.29 AU and reaching as far as 2.00 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 1999 AR7 is probably between 1.198 to 2.679 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to Mount Everest.

The rotation of 1999 AR7 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 2.74 hours.

No Close Approaches

1999 AR7's orbit is 0.41 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.

Orbital simulations conducted by NASA JPL's CNEOS do not show any close approaches to Earth.

Images and Observations

1999 AR7's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 28, 1998. It was last officially observed on Sept. 9, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 1,209 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 1999 AR7:

• 3553 Mera (1985 JA)
• 4257 Ubasti (1987 QA)
• 5011 Ptah (6743 P-L)

References

• JPL Small Body Database
• Mission Design
• Sky Finder Chart

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 53110 (1999 AR7) 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 1999 AR7 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.