2013 WF108

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2013 WF108

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 15,211,191 km of Earth in 2045
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2013 WF108 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2013 WF108 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2013 WF108 orbits the sun every 1,030 days (2.82 years), coming as close as 0.85 AU and reaching as far as 3.14 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2013 WF108 is probably between 0.223 to 0.499 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

The rotation of 2013 WF108 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 7.37 hours.

Close Approaches

2013 WF108's orbit is 0.03 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.

2013 WF108 has 5 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
May 13, 2045 15,211,191 16.373
May 31, 2090 21,117,917 20.868
May 27, 2121 11,300,157 19.448
May 20, 2152 3,482,335 17.923
May 17, 2183 8,536,775 17.265

Images and Observations

2013 WF108's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 27, 2013. It was last officially observed on Dec. 1, 2016. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 152 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 2013 WF108:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.993 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5744
  • Inclination: 23.45°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 238.97°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 309.04°
  • Mean Anomaly: 123.59°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.288 km
  • Magnitude: 20.38

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,030 days (2.82 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 21.05 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.14 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.85 AU
  • Rotation Period: 7.37 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2013 WF108 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 2013 WF108 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.