2018 WX1

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2018 WX1

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 7,729,956 km of Earth in 2026
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2018 WX1 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2018 WX1 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.

2018 WX1 orbits the sun every 433 days (1.19 years), coming as close as 0.81 AU and reaching as far as 1.43 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2018 WX1 is probably between 0.026 to 0.116 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2018 WX1's orbit is 0.01 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.

2018 WX1 has 14 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
May 28, 2026 7,729,956 10.219
Dec. 5, 2037 5,435,391 9.922
May 24, 2045 3,757,853 8.498
Jan. 3, 2051 24,410,052 5.822
June 1, 2058 18,316,429 12.205
Nov. 29, 2069 24,018,734 13.437
April 16, 2077 27,416,475 6.056
Dec. 7, 2082 2,092,648 9.130
May 13, 2090 20,616,044 5.706
Dec. 6, 2095 4,654,004 9.747
June 6, 2110 26,603,708 13.751
May 27, 2123 2,948,482 8.594
Dec. 5, 2128 6,548,503 10.130
Dec. 10, 2175 5,100,560 8.206

Images and Observations

2018 WX1's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 28, 2018. It was last officially observed on Aug. 28, 2019. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 133 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2018 WX1 can be reached with a journey of 378 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 9.78 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 1,733 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2018 WX1.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2018 WX1:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.121 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.2796
  • Inclination: 8.25°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 250.45°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 265.76°
  • Mean Anomaly: 315.12°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.071 km
  • Magnitude: 24.14

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 433 days (1.19 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 28.16 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.43 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.81 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2018 WX1 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 2018 WX1 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.