216258 (2006 WH1)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 216258 (2006 WH1)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 5,840,908 km of Earth in 2019
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

216258 (2006 WH1) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2006 WH1 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2006 WH1 orbits the sun every 789 days (2.16 years), coming as close as 0.86 AU and reaching as far as 2.48 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2006 WH1 is probably between 0.228 to 0.511 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

The rotation of 2006 WH1 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 7.30 hours.

Close Approaches

2006 WH1's orbit is 0.02 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.

2006 WH1 has 11 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Dec. 20, 2019 5,840,908 11.768
April 15, 2048 9,125,152 12.428
March 23, 2061 13,280,004 8.708
Feb. 2, 2074 19,066,976 8.852
Dec. 28, 2086 6,034,866 9.881
Dec. 23, 2099 4,180,195 11.201
April 20, 2128 14,944,614 13.740
March 30, 2141 11,296,416 8.939
Feb. 3, 2154 18,796,061 8.822
Dec. 26, 2166 3,912,386 10.742
April 22, 2195 15,799,258 13.917

Images and Observations

2006 WH1's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 23, 2006. It was last officially observed on May 26, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 948 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 2006 WH1:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.671 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.485
  • Inclination: 2.63°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 240.32°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 263.68°
  • Mean Anomaly: 243.14°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.295 km
  • Magnitude: 20.33

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 789 days (2.16 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 23.04 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.48 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.86 AU
  • Rotation Period: 7.30 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 216258 (2006 WH1) 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 2006 WH1 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.