144901 (2004 WG1)

Mid-sized Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 144901 (2004 WG1)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to Mount Everest (2.24 km diameter)
  • Will pass within 9,712,322 km of Earth in 2027
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

144901 (2004 WG1) is a mid-sized asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2004 WG1 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.

2004 WG1 orbits the sun every 767 days (2.10 years), coming as close as 0.78 AU and reaching as far as 2.50 AU from the sun. 2004 WG1 is about 2.2 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to Mount Everest.

The rotation of 2004 WG1 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 8.06 hours.

Close Approaches

2004 WG1's orbit is 0.06 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.

2004 WG1 has 9 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
April 17, 2027 9,712,322 16.382
April 13, 2048 15,592,358 17.833
April 8, 2069 25,631,581 19.853
Sept. 15, 2115 27,793,235 15.286
May 12, 2134 25,044,857 12.513
Sept. 10, 2136 28,939,510 13.189
May 5, 2155 19,251,475 12.956
May 3, 2176 18,082,937 13.072
May 6, 2197 20,327,008 12.818

Images and Observations

2004 WG1's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 22, 2004. It was last officially observed on Oct. 31, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 599 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 2004 WG1:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.64 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5214
  • Inclination: 13.04°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 41.99°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 232.48°
  • Mean Anomaly: 83.38°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 2.24000 km
  • Magnitude: 17.54
  • Albedo: 0.038

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 767 days (2.10 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 23.26 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.50 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.78 AU
  • Rotation Period: 8.06 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 144901 (2004 WG1) 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 2004 WG1 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.