2007 WM3

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
• Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
• Will pass within 23,029,028 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 259 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 an wide berth between this asteroid and Earth at all times.

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

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 74 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:

• 66146 (1998 TU3)
• 163023 (2001 XU1)
• 242191 (2003 NZ6)

References

• JPL Small Body Database
• Mission Design
• Sky Finder Chart

Orbit Simulation

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.