2017 WL1

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2017 WL1

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 16,425,698 km of Earth in 2024
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2017 WL1 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2017 WL1 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 WL1 orbits the sun every 637 days (1.74 years), coming as close as 0.77 AU and reaching as far as 2.13 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2017 WL1 is probably between 0.167 to 0.373 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

The rotation of 2017 WL1 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 17.41 hours.

Close Approaches

2017 WL1's orbit is 0.08 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 WL1 has 12 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Dec. 5, 2024 16,425,698 27.343
June 2, 2051 23,598,904 26.488
May 29, 2058 21,693,700 24.476
Dec. 10, 2092 16,948,493 24.899
Dec. 7, 2099 13,301,110 26.811
Dec. 3, 2106 29,320,779 29.216
June 4, 2126 26,811,582 27.142
May 31, 2133 20,440,088 24.978
May 27, 2140 29,869,467 23.248
Dec. 13, 2167 19,436,513 24.626
Dec. 8, 2174 12,130,904 26.543
Dec. 3, 2181 27,520,035 29.001

Images and Observations

2017 WL1's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 17, 2017. It was last officially observed on July 8, 2018. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 95 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 WL1:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.449 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4703
  • Inclination: 44.31°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 253.52°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 264.31°
  • Mean Anomaly: 74.96°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.216 km
  • Magnitude: 21.01

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 637 days (1.74 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 24.75 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.13 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.77 AU
  • Rotation Period: 17.41 hours

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

⧉

Sky Map

The position of 2017 WL1 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 WL1 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.