2017 WG2

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2017 WG2

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 8,723,006 km of Earth in 2023
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2017 WG2 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2017 WG2 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2017 WG2 orbits the sun every 435 days (1.19 years), coming as close as 0.47 AU and reaching as far as 1.77 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2017 WG2 is probably between 0.232 to 0.518 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2017 WG2'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.

2017 WG2 has 15 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Dec. 22, 2023 8,723,006 20.942
Aug. 6, 2032 23,772,772 18.732
Dec. 24, 2048 7,565,397 19.186
Aug. 12, 2057 25,296,777 21.616
Dec. 27, 2079 12,577,754 17.849
Dec. 18, 2085 20,648,030 23.712
Aug. 6, 2094 24,563,226 18.378
Dec. 28, 2116 12,738,341 17.808
Dec. 22, 2122 13,858,427 22.313
Aug. 15, 2131 27,074,999 22.228
Aug. 6, 2137 25,486,390 17.967
Dec. 31, 2159 22,755,277 15.855
Dec. 24, 2165 6,472,171 20.433
Dec. 17, 2171 29,454,471 25.571
Aug. 8, 2180 24,512,897 18.657

Images and Observations

2017 WG2's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 18, 2017. It was last officially observed on Aug. 8, 2019. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 118 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 WG2:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.124 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5783
  • Inclination: 14.54°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 101.35°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 103.16°
  • Mean Anomaly: 233.38°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.299 km
  • Magnitude: 20.3

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 435 days (1.19 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 28.11 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.77 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.47 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2017 WG2 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 WG2 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.