Key Facts
- Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
- Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
- Will pass within 21,658,861 km of Earth in 2026
- Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
- Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
- See orbit simulation
Overview
2017 WO16 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2017 WO16 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 WO16 orbits the sun every 331 days (0.91 years), coming as close as 0.76 AU and reaching as far as 1.12 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2017 WO16 is probably between 0.017 to 0.076 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.
Close Approaches
2017 WO16's orbit is 0.01 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.
2017 WO16 has 24 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
|---|---|---|
| June 22, 2026 | 21,658,861 | 6.294 |
| Nov. 14, 2036 | 15,317,888 | 5.489 |
| July 17, 2045 | 21,349,679 | 8.061 |
| Nov. 26, 2046 | 13,698,697 | 9.261 |
| June 7, 2055 | 25,396,285 | 6.694 |
| Sept. 28, 2055 | 27,541,534 | 5.134 |
| Nov. 25, 2065 | 4,888,858 | 6.334 |
| July 17, 2074 | 21,697,385 | 8.194 |
| Nov. 26, 2075 | 11,216,658 | 8.808 |
| June 24, 2084 | 21,024,079 | 6.279 |
| May 22, 2094 | 29,655,376 | 7.312 |
| Oct. 23, 2094 | 23,552,115 | 5.459 |
| Nov. 25, 2104 | 6,518,233 | 6.116 |
| July 22, 2113 | 24,848,751 | 9.164 |
| Nov. 27, 2114 | 4,853,574 | 7.703 |
| June 28, 2123 | 20,746,093 | 6.271 |
| Nov. 3, 2133 | 20,594,068 | 5.477 |
| July 25, 2142 | 27,620,109 | 9.845 |
| Nov. 28, 2143 | 2,976,263 | 7.383 |
| May 25, 2152 | 29,399,152 | 7.275 |
| Oct. 22, 2152 | 23,650,295 | 5.490 |
| July 11, 2161 | 19,643,672 | 6.700 |
| Nov. 24, 2162 | 26,973,556 | 11.716 |
| Nov. 26, 2171 | 6,097,757 | 6.179 |
Images and Observations
2017 WO16's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 11, 2017. It was last officially observed on Nov. 27, 2017. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 28 observations used to determine its orbit.
Accessibility and Exploration
2017 WO16 can be reached with a journey of 378 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 8.446 km/s. To put this into perspective, the delta-v to launch a rocket to Low-Earth Orbit is 9.7 km/s. There are 32,454 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.
See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2017 WO16.
Similar Objects
These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2017 WO16:References
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or view a random objectOrbital Elements
- Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
- Semi-major axis: 0.9361 AU
- Eccentricity: 0.1919
- Inclination: 8.96°
- Longitude of Ascending Node: 242.09°
- Argument of Periapsis: 300.31°
- Mean Anomaly: 46.98°
Physical Characteristics
- Diameter: ~0.047 km
- Magnitude: 25.04
Derived Characteristics
- Orbit Period: 331 days (0.91 years)
- Avg. Orbit Speed: 30.77 km/s
- Aphelion Distance: 1.12 AU
- Perihelion Distance: 0.76 AU
Map Comparison
Orbit Simulation
Sky Map
The position of 2017 WO16 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 WO16 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.
