17188 (1999 WC2) is a mid-sized asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 1999 WC2 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 WC2 orbits the sun every 1,200 days (3.29 years), coming as close as 0.80 AU and reaching as far as 3.63 AU from the sun. 1999 WC2 is about 1.8 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to Mount Everest.
The rotation of 1999 WC2 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 5.06 hours.
1999 WC2'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.
1999 WC2 has 3 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
---|---|---|
June 8, 2046 | 26,119,965 | 18.885 |
June 20, 2135 | 14,934,436 | 23.588 |
June 17, 2168 | 10,932,305 | 22.759 |
1999 WC2's orbit is determined by observations dating back to July 27, 1990. It was last officially observed on Aug. 6, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 724 observations used to determine its orbit.
The position of 17188 (1999 WC2) 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.
The above comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 1999 WC2 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.