2015 WB13

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Amor-class Asteroid
• Comparable in size to a basketball court
• Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
• Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
• See orbit simulation

Overview

2015 WB13 is a very small asteroid whose orbit approaches the orbit of Earth but does not cross it. NASA JPL has classified 2015 WB13 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2015 WB13 orbits the sun every 1,740 days (4.76 years), coming as close as 1.03 AU and reaching as far as 4.62 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2015 WB13 is probably between 0.116 to 0.259 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a basketball court.

No Close Approaches

2015 WB13's orbit is 0.05 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.

Orbital simulations conducted by NASA JPL's CNEOS do not show any close approaches to Earth.

Images and Observations

2015 WB13's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 30, 2015. It was last officially observed on Jan. 15, 2016. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 148 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 2015 WB13:

• 804 Hispania (A915 FK)
• 975 Perseverantia (A922 FE)
• 1835 Gajdariya (1970 OE)

References

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

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2015 WB13 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 2015 WB13 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.