2022 WN2 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2022 WN2 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 WN2 orbits the sun every 374 days (1.02 years), coming as close as 0.95 AU and reaching as far as 1.08 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2022 WN2 is probably between 0.003 to 0.013 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.
2022 WN2'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.
2022 WN2 has 14 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
|---|---|---|
| Nov. 17, 2021 | 23,737,114 | 7.944 |
| Nov. 22, 2022 | 1,069,358 | 5.344 |
| May 25, 2023 | 18,161,032 | 5.256 |
| Nov. 21, 2023 | 23,590,448 | 5.982 |
| May 17, 2024 | 5,246,025 | 5.471 |
| Nov. 19, 2057 | 20,444,734 | 7.521 |
| Nov. 22, 2058 | 5,922,284 | 5.091 |
| May 21, 2059 | 11,340,936 | 4.974 |
| May 16, 2060 | 15,608,633 | 6.622 |
| Nov. 20, 2091 | 16,838,469 | 6.991 |
| Nov. 21, 2092 | 10,688,015 | 5.112 |
| May 18, 2093 | 6,994,079 | 4.959 |
| May 16, 2094 | 20,031,585 | 7.231 |
| May 18, 2128 | 2,800,598 | 5.192 |
2022 WN2's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 20, 2022. It was last officially observed on Nov. 25, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 32 observations used to determine its orbit.
2022 WN2 can be reached with a journey of 362 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 5.33 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 352,661 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.
See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2022 WN2.
The position of 2022 WN2 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.