68348 (2001 LO7)

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
• Comparable in size to the island of Manhattan (3.51 km diameter)
• Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

68348 (2001 LO7) is a mid-sized asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2001 LO7 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.

2001 LO7 orbits the sun every 1,160 days (3.18 years), coming as close as 0.34 AU and reaching as far as 3.97 AU from the sun. Its orbit is highly elliptical. 2001 LO7 is about 3.5 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the island of Manhattan.

The rotation of 2001 LO7 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 3.33 hours.

No Close Approaches

2001 LO7's orbit is 0.39 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

2001 LO7's orbit is determined by observations dating back to June 2, 1954. It was last officially observed on July 9, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 1,358 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 2001 LO7:

• 1818 Brahms (1939 PE)
• 1917 Cuyo (1968 AA)
• 1988 Delores (1952 SV)

References

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

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 68348 (2001 LO7) 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 2001 LO7 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.