2015 WX1 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2015 WX1 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.
2015 WX1 orbits the sun every 1,450 days (3.97 years), coming as close as 0.99 AU and reaching as far as 4.01 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2015 WX1 is probably between 0.054 to 0.121 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.
2015 WX1's orbit is 0.06 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.
2015 WX1 has 6 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
---|---|---|
Oct. 17, 2019 | 9,237,164 | 7.907 |
Sept. 7, 2023 | 23,084,339 | 12.944 |
Sept. 30, 2087 | 21,764,651 | 8.686 |
Nov. 9, 2091 | 22,421,133 | 8.363 |
Sept. 28, 2160 | 27,709,046 | 9.543 |
Nov. 7, 2164 | 20,084,539 | 7.801 |
2015 WX1's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 20, 2015. It was last officially observed on Dec. 23, 2019. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 116 observations used to determine its orbit.
The position of 2015 WX1 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.
The below comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 2015 WX1 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.