Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 25,100,838 km of Earth in 2112
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2014 WV363 is a small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2014 WV363 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2014 WV363 orbits the sun every 916 days (2.51 years), coming as close as 0.89 AU and reaching as far as 2.80 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2014 WV363 is probably between 0.402 to 0.900 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than ~97% of asteroids but small compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge.

Close Approaches

2014 WV363'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.

2014 WV363 has 6 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
May 8, 2112 25,100,838 16.455
May 12, 2117 17,133,712 14.861
May 16, 2122 11,701,036 13.727
May 16, 2127 11,104,622 13.614
May 12, 2132 16,370,158 14.734
May 9, 2137 24,406,425 16.306

Images and Observations

2014 WV363's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Jan. 30, 2011. It was last officially observed on Aug. 7, 2019. 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 2014 WV363:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.846 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5158
  • Inclination: 5.53°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 77.95°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 210.04°
  • Mean Anomaly: 220.9°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.519 km
  • Magnitude: 19.1

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 916 days (2.51 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 21.92 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.80 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.89 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2014 WV363 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 2014 WV363 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.