SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2017 LW

2017 LW

2017 LW is an Amor-type near-Earth asteroid that approaches Earth from beyond our orbit without crossing it, orbiting the Sun at 1.33 AU once every 1.53 yr.

Amor Observations: 80
Orbital Period · P
1.53 yr
v(q)
32 km/s
v(Q)
20.9 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.03 km
TJ
4.9
Eccentricity · e
0.2094

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 1.051 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 1.609 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 0.558 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 1.33 AU gives an orbital period of 1.53 yr, or about 560 days.

An eccentricity of 0.209 makes the orbit moderately elongated.

Its inclination of 4.24° keeps it close to the plane of the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 32 km/s at perihelion and falls to 20.9 km/s at aphelion.

Its perihelion lies just outside Earth's orbit, which is why it is classed as Earth-approaching rather than Earth-crossing.

Size and surface

No direct size measurement is available; from an absolute magnitude of H = 25.4 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.03 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 80 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.3688 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 6 indicates a moderately constrained orbit; predictions decades ahead still carry noticeable uncertainty.

About these computed values

Orbital periods, perihelion and aphelion speeds, and diameter estimates on this page are computed by SpaceAtlas from the JPL SBDB orbital elements. They are derived quantities, not values copied from the source catalogue.

Orbital Parameters

Semi-Major Axis
1.33 AU
Eccentricity
0.2094
Perihelion
1.051 AU
Aphelion
1.608502 AU
Inclination
4.24°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
299.7°

Orbit diagram

The Sun sits at the focus (orange). Earth's orbit is the grey circle at 1 AU. The red dot marks the object's position at the catalog epoch.

3D orbit (interactive)

Drag to rotate; scroll or pinch to zoom. The Sun is at the focus (orange), Earth's orbit is the grey ring at 1 AU, and the red dot marks the object's current position.

Close approaches

Predicted close approaches to Earth, from NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS).

Date (UTC)Miss distanceVelocity
2037-May-17 12:25 0.357351 AU
53459022 km
13.71 km/s
2037-Oct-04 06:04 0.355231 AU
53141850 km
4.68 km/s
2040-Jun-28 19:47 0.034082 AU
5098621 km
3.46 km/s
2043-Mar-17 21:30 0.390685 AU
58445664 km
5.41 km/s
2043-Aug-17 02:47 0.428536 AU
64108000 km
16.06 km/s
2063-Aug-08 17:18 0.222079 AU
33222511 km
11.73 km/s

Distances in astronomical units (AU) and kilometres. Source: NASA/JPL CNEOS Close Approach Data API.

Physical Parameters

Diameter
— km
Albedo
—
Density
— g/cm³
Rotation Period
— h
Absolute Magnitude
25.4

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.3688
Condition
6
Orbit ID
—
Data source: NASA JPL Small-Body Database · NASA CNEOS. Orbital periods, perihelion and aphelion speeds, and diameter estimates on this page are computed by SpaceAtlas from the JPL SBDB orbital elements. They are derived quantities, not values copied from the source catalogue.

Keep exploring

Explore asteroids, comets and near-Earth objects with JPL orbital data.