Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 18,212,544 km of Earth in 2020
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2007 WJ3 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2007 WJ3 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.

2007 WJ3 orbits the sun every 476 days (1.30 years), coming as close as 0.75 AU and reaching as far as 1.64 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2007 WJ3 is probably between 0.015 to 0.034 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2007 WJ3's orbit is 0.01 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.

2007 WJ3 has 3 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Nov. 19, 2020 18,212,544 15.296
May 16, 2028 8,482,667 13.328
May 20, 2041 1,196,225 11.752

Images and Observations

2007 WJ3's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 16, 2007. It was last officially observed on Nov. 20, 2007. 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 2007 WJ3:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.193 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.3716
  • Inclination: 6.25°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 235.2°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 91.68°
  • Mean Anomaly: 100.96°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.020 km
  • Magnitude: 26.2

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 476 days (1.30 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 27.27 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.64 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.75 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2007 WJ3 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.