2022 WA

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
• Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
• Will pass within 499,959 km of Earth in 2022
• Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

2022 WA is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2022 WA 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.

2022 WA orbits the sun every 466 days (1.28 years), coming as close as 0.57 AU and reaching as far as 1.78 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2022 WA is probably between 0.012 to 0.026 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2022 WA's orbit is 0.00 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.

2022 WA has 10 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Images and Observations

2022 WA's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 16, 2022. It was last officially observed on Nov. 17, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 89 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 2022 WA:

• 12711 Tukmit (1991 BB)
• 88254 (2001 FM129)
• 137158 (1999 FB)

References

• JPL Small Body Database
• Mission Design
• Sky Finder Chart

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2022 WA 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.