2009 WW104

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

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Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2009 WW104

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 12,608,179 km of Earth in 2026
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2009 WW104 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2009 WW104 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.

2009 WW104 orbits the sun every 689 days (1.89 years), coming as close as 0.82 AU and reaching as far as 2.23 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2009 WW104 is probably between 0.084 to 0.188 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2009 WW104'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.

2009 WW104 has 14 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Nov. 2, 2026 12,608,179 10.892
June 17, 2028 10,882,577 14.360
Aug. 2, 2060 28,700,369 9.505
Nov. 12, 2075 12,410,709 14.186
June 26, 2077 8,808,185 11.317
Nov. 6, 2092 9,688,038 11.918
June 21, 2094 6,882,000 13.241
Oct. 8, 2109 26,794,934 9.141
Nov. 16, 2141 18,058,946 15.619
July 3, 2143 13,908,716 10.273
Nov. 8, 2158 9,290,491 11.966
June 22, 2160 7,505,667 13.373
Sept. 28, 2175 29,808,625 9.623
Aug. 4, 2192 29,051,348 9.521

Images and Observations

2009 WW104's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 23, 2009. It was last officially observed on June 26, 2011. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 84 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 2009 WW104:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.527 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.462
  • Inclination: 7.06°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 254.61°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 84.87°
  • Mean Anomaly: 144.84°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.109 km
  • Magnitude: 22.5

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 689 days (1.89 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 24.11 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.23 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.82 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2009 WW104 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 2009 WW104 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.