2004 WK1

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2004 WK1

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 28,502,042 km of Earth in 2030
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2004 WK1 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2004 WK1 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2004 WK1 orbits the sun every 412 days (1.13 years), coming as close as 0.29 AU and reaching as far as 1.88 AU from the sun. Its orbit is highly elliptical. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2004 WK1 is probably between 0.160 to 0.358 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2004 WK1's orbit is 0.04 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 WK1 has 12 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Nov. 6, 2030 28,502,042 24.194
Nov. 11, 2039 6,137,964 28.648
Nov. 17, 2048 27,974,646 33.847
Nov. 6, 2065 27,255,673 24.371
Nov. 11, 2074 5,821,126 28.723
Nov. 18, 2083 28,832,106 34.054
Nov. 8, 2100 23,180,904 24.978
Nov. 13, 2109 8,123,207 29.756
Nov. 10, 2135 14,635,324 26.366
Nov. 15, 2144 15,001,647 31.288
Nov. 11, 2170 8,111,243 27.585
Nov. 18, 2179 22,206,596 32.776

Images and Observations

2004 WK1's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 19, 2004. It was last officially observed on Nov. 27, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 44 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 WK1:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.084 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.7301
  • Inclination: 34.47°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 51.79°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 223.14°
  • Mean Anomaly: 289.83°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.207 km
  • Magnitude: 21.1

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 412 days (1.13 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 28.62 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.88 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.29 AU

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

⧉

Sky Map

The position of 2004 WK1 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 2004 WK1 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.