Asteroid 2017 HJ discovered a day after it flew past Earth at 0.35 LD
A newly discovered asteroid designated 2017 HJ flew past Earth at a distance of 0.35 LD (134 400 km / 83 512 miles) at 05:43 UTC on April 16, 2017. This is the 18th known asteroid to flyby Earth within 1 lunar distance since January 9, 2017 (according to data available September 20, 2017).
2017 HJ is Apollo asteroid first observed at Mt. Lemmon Survey on April 17, a day after it made the closest approach. Its estimated diameter is between 8.6 and 19 m (28 – 62 feet) and it flew past Earth at a speed (relative to the Earth) of 15.04 km/s.
[ Ephemeris | Orbit Diagram | Orbital Elements | Physical Parameters | Close-Approach Data ]
As of April 9, 2017, there are 16 111 known near-Earth objects (NEOs).
Since January 1, 2017, we have discovered 598 NEOs and all of them are asteroids. 18 of them, including 2017 HJ, passed within 1 lunar distance from the surface of Earth.
References:
Asteroid 2017 HJ at Minor Planet Center, CNEOS
Featured image: The green line indicates the object's apparent motion relative to the Earth, and the bright green marks are the object's location at approximately one hour intervals. The Moon's orbit is grey. The blue arrow points in the direction of Earth's motion and the yellow arrow points toward the Sun. Credit: Minor Planet Center
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