Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 8,096,526 km of Earth in 2021
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2020 WU5 is a small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2020 WU5 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2020 WU5 orbits the sun every 398 days (1.09 years), coming as close as 0.95 AU and reaching as far as 1.17 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2020 WU5 is probably between 0.484 to 1.082 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than ~97% of asteroids but small compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge.

The rotation of 2020 WU5 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 5.57 hours.

Close Approaches

2020 WU5'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.

2020 WU5 has 23 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Jan. 13, 2021 8,096,526 21.337
July 11, 2021 23,796,530 20.582
Jan. 11, 2033 18,211,037 22.079
July 18, 2046 17,960,074 21.549
Jan. 17, 2058 25,731,543 21.151
July 15, 2058 6,123,355 20.804
Jan. 15, 2070 10,914,578 21.196
July 12, 2070 17,975,516 20.552
Jan. 12, 2082 11,978,563 21.697
Jan. 9, 2094 29,151,063 22.859
July 20, 2095 25,051,904 22.014
July 17, 2107 8,522,531 21.024
Jan. 17, 2119 17,631,602 21.110
July 15, 2119 10,685,513 20.618
Jan. 15, 2131 8,001,280 21.378
July 12, 2131 25,425,870 20.591
Jan. 12, 2143 19,718,557 22.185
July 19, 2156 16,912,768 21.495
Jan. 19, 2168 25,150,079 21.144
July 16, 2168 6,194,243 20.787
Jan. 17, 2180 10,582,247 21.199
July 13, 2180 18,371,665 20.548
Jan. 14, 2192 12,214,272 21.722

Images and Observations

2020 WU5's orbit is determined by observations dating back to March 28, 2011. It was last officially observed on June 27, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 369 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 2020 WU5:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.059 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1017
  • Inclination: 41.48°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 112.85°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 84.5°
  • Mean Anomaly: 87.13°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.624 km
  • Magnitude: 18.7

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 398 days (1.09 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 28.95 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.17 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.95 AU
  • Rotation Period: 5.57 hours

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2020 WU5 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 above comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 2020 WU5 to create an approximate landscape rendering with Mount Everest in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.