2007 WM3

Very small Aten-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Aten-class Asteroids » 2007 WM3

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 23,029,974 km of Earth in 2019
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2007 WM3 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2007 WM3 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 WM3 orbits the sun every 258 days (0.71 years), coming as close as 0.45 AU and reaching as far as 1.13 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2007 WM3 is probably between 0.064 to 0.143 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2007 WM3's orbit is 0.02 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.

2007 WM3 has 42 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Nov. 8, 2019 23,029,974 16.483
Nov. 14, 2024 13,932,712 9.644
Dec. 26, 2029 22,120,412 9.377
Jan. 16, 2035 21,384,186 14.655
Nov. 6, 2036 5,504,239 12.543
Dec. 1, 2041 22,079,622 9.424
Jan. 11, 2047 16,598,448 9.915
Nov. 9, 2053 7,787,881 10.430
Dec. 19, 2058 23,328,218 9.422
Jan. 17, 2064 17,564,892 13.359
Nov. 6, 2065 10,224,867 13.654
Nov. 29, 2070 21,338,133 9.418
Jan. 11, 2076 16,608,423 9.921
Nov. 10, 2082 9,404,510 10.151
Dec. 22, 2087 23,142,781 9.414
Jan. 16, 2093 18,008,924 13.514
Nov. 6, 2094 10,048,311 13.620
Nov. 28, 2099 20,921,469 9.394
Jan. 9, 2105 17,983,287 9.647
Jan. 16, 2110 29,510,361 16.878
Nov. 9, 2111 4,933,903 10.975
Dec. 15, 2116 23,665,337 9.431
Jan. 17, 2122 15,413,256 12.223
Nov. 8, 2123 15,740,617 14.870
Nov. 23, 2128 18,832,966 9.423
Jan. 5, 2134 19,658,968 9.436
Jan. 16, 2139 26,855,521 16.164
Nov. 8, 2140 3,373,601 11.403
Dec. 13, 2145 23,663,555 9.460
Jan. 17, 2151 15,066,895 11.814
Nov. 7, 2152 17,752,338 15.335
Nov. 22, 2157 18,105,833 9.419
Jan. 4, 2163 20,312,861 9.421
Jan. 17, 2168 26,788,919 16.112
Nov. 8, 2169 3,424,895 11.337
Dec. 15, 2174 23,774,137 9.447
Jan. 18, 2180 15,772,469 12.310
Nov. 7, 2181 14,685,093 14.674
Nov. 27, 2186 20,114,730 9.392
Jan. 12, 2192 17,257,473 9.858
Nov. 10, 2193 29,540,051 17.927
Nov. 14, 2198 12,329,723 9.787

Images and Observations

2007 WM3's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 17, 2007. It was last officially observed on Dec. 30, 2017. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 77 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 WM3:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 0.7941 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4279
  • Inclination: 6.46°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 55.33°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 204.18°
  • Mean Anomaly: 250.92°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.082 km
  • Magnitude: 23.1

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 258 days (0.71 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 33.48 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.13 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.45 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2007 WM3 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 2007 WM3 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.