2008 WZ94

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2008 WZ94

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 26,682,656 km of Earth in 2040
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2008 WZ94 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2008 WZ94 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2008 WZ94 orbits the sun every 686 days (1.88 years), coming as close as 0.34 AU and reaching as far as 2.70 AU from the sun. Its orbit is highly elliptical. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2008 WZ94 is probably between 0.239 to 0.535 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2008 WZ94'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.

2008 WZ94 has 12 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Dec. 14, 2040 26,682,656 31.886
Dec. 20, 2055 11,815,308 28.562
Dec. 22, 2070 6,632,721 26.788
Dec. 23, 2085 6,943,900 26.179
Dec. 25, 2100 10,839,487 24.898
Dec. 27, 2115 14,630,797 23.982
Aug. 18, 2125 28,873,030 22.076
Dec. 30, 2130 25,669,994 21.704
Aug. 21, 2140 21,051,595 24.308
Aug. 25, 2155 18,101,073 25.895
Aug. 28, 2170 20,178,449 28.398
Sept. 1, 2185 27,681,032 30.794

Images and Observations

2008 WZ94's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 30, 2008. It was last officially observed on Aug. 24, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 108 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 2008 WZ94:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.522 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.774
  • Inclination: 6.55°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 248.67°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 321.23°
  • Mean Anomaly: 268.96°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.309 km
  • Magnitude: 20.23

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 686 days (1.88 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 24.14 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.70 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.34 AU

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

⧉

Sky Map

The position of 2008 WZ94 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 2008 WZ94 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.