2017 WG14

Very small Aten-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Aten-class Asteroids » 2017 WG14

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 7,105,004 km of Earth in 2021
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2017 WG14 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2017 WG14 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.

2017 WG14 orbits the sun every 209 days (0.57 years), coming as close as 0.32 AU and reaching as far as 1.06 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2017 WG14 is probably between 0.033 to 0.075 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2017 WG14's orbit is 0.00 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is very close to Earth's orbit.

2017 WG14 has 30 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Nov. 10, 2021 7,105,004 11.597
Nov. 9, 2025 6,402,171 11.678
Nov. 9, 2029 6,298,140 11.718
Nov. 10, 2033 6,803,892 11.620
Nov. 11, 2037 7,797,488 11.514
Nov. 13, 2041 9,028,352 11.353
Nov. 15, 2045 10,310,441 11.237
Nov. 17, 2049 11,483,134 11.136
Nov. 20, 2053 12,420,599 11.081
Nov. 22, 2057 13,016,699 11.066
Nov. 24, 2061 13,440,044 11.045
Nov. 25, 2065 13,616,426 11.072
Nov. 26, 2069 13,731,789 11.050
Nov. 26, 2073 13,696,152 11.070
Nov. 25, 2077 13,634,108 11.055
Nov. 23, 2081 13,422,645 11.059
Nov. 22, 2085 13,037,920 11.076
Nov. 20, 2089 12,617,608 11.078
Nov. 19, 2093 12,118,498 11.125
Dec. 11, 2149 13,329,331 11.685
Dec. 12, 2153 13,239,513 11.928
Dec. 13, 2157 13,275,939 12.141
Dec. 14, 2161 13,383,070 12.376
Dec. 15, 2165 13,541,616 12.525
Dec. 15, 2169 13,627,440 12.629
Dec. 15, 2173 13,711,596 12.671
Dec. 15, 2177 13,744,651 12.720
Dec. 15, 2181 13,792,889 12.728
Dec. 16, 2185 13,802,552 12.755
Dec. 16, 2189 13,829,200 12.755

Images and Observations

2017 WG14's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 17, 2017. It was last officially observed on Dec. 7, 2017. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 21 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 2017 WG14:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2458079.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 0.6888 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.54
  • Inclination: 8.18°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 42.95°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 200.02°
  • Mean Anomaly: 164.05°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.043 km
  • Magnitude: 24.5

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 209 days (0.57 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 35.85 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.06 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.32 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2017 WG14 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 2017 WG14 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.