2003 WP7

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

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Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2003 WP7

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 22,657,460 km of Earth in 2025
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2003 WP7 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2003 WP7 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.

2003 WP7 orbits the sun every 1,280 days (3.50 years), coming as close as 0.82 AU and reaching as far as 3.79 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2003 WP7 is probably between 0.061 to 0.136 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2003 WP7's orbit is 0.00 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.

2003 WP7 has 25 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Jan. 10, 2025 22,657,460 11.712
Jan. 13, 2032 22,988,335 11.719
Feb. 12, 2039 22,850,101 11.615
March 17, 2046 11,924,371 12.195
Feb. 27, 2053 20,970,201 11.589
Feb. 1, 2060 25,525,267 12.085
Jan. 16, 2067 23,963,423 11.857
Feb. 19, 2074 21,689,450 11.464
March 7, 2081 16,806,214 11.469
Feb. 26, 2088 20,805,614 11.471
Feb. 21, 2095 21,081,692 11.406
March 10, 2102 14,844,915 11.431
March 10, 2109 17,354,763 11.596
Feb. 3, 2116 25,762,225 12.145
Dec. 27, 2122 17,142,011 11.596
Dec. 21, 2129 10,668,942 11.868
Jan. 11, 2137 20,303,753 11.343
Jan. 14, 2144 22,245,699 11.619
Jan. 8, 2151 20,701,136 11.504
Jan. 23, 2158 23,290,341 11.691
March 3, 2165 19,887,192 11.450
Feb. 22, 2172 22,647,194 11.630
Jan. 30, 2179 25,227,244 12.040
Jan. 12, 2186 22,372,498 11.669
Feb. 6, 2193 23,371,815 11.654

Images and Observations

2003 WP7's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 19, 2003. It was last officially observed on Dec. 9, 2010. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 102 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 2003 WP7:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.305 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.6453
  • Inclination: 0.99°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 248.49°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 240.96°
  • Mean Anomaly: 219.37°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.079 km
  • Magnitude: 23.2

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,280 days (3.50 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 19.59 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.79 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.82 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2003 WP7 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 below comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 2003 WP7 to create an approximate landscape rendering with New York City in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.