2017 WJ2

Very small Aten-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Aten-class Asteroids » 2017 WJ2

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 5,983,901 km of Earth in 2026
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2017 WJ2 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2017 WJ2 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 WJ2 orbits the sun every 330 days (0.90 years), coming as close as 0.78 AU and reaching as far as 1.09 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2017 WJ2 is probably between 0.088 to 0.197 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2017 WJ2's orbit is 0.04 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 WJ2 has 12 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Nov. 5, 2026 5,983,901 11.779
Nov. 5, 2035 22,974,245 14.150
Nov. 6, 2054 12,744,502 11.360
Nov. 5, 2063 11,011,350 12.693
Nov. 9, 2082 24,709,527 11.270
Nov. 5, 2091 5,625,217 11.852
Nov. 6, 2100 24,001,984 14.296
Nov. 11, 2147 26,580,048 11.304
Nov. 6, 2156 6,503,765 11.691
Nov. 6, 2165 17,811,100 13.509
Nov. 9, 2184 21,986,132 11.251
Nov. 6, 2193 5,428,689 11.949

Images and Observations

2017 WJ2's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 28, 2017. It was last officially observed on Nov. 23, 2017. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 27 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 WJ2:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 0.9344 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1612
  • Inclination: 21.94°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 44.21°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 223.01°
  • Mean Anomaly: 307.59°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.114 km
  • Magnitude: 22.4

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 330 days (0.90 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 30.80 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.09 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.78 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2017 WJ2 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 WJ2 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.