Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 8,014,005 km of Earth in 2037
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

22753 (1998 WT) is a small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 1998 WT as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

1998 WT orbits the sun every 492 days (1.35 years), coming as close as 0.52 AU and reaching as far as 1.91 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 1998 WT is probably between 0.770 to 1.722 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 1998 WT has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 10.24 hours.

Close Approaches

1998 WT's orbit is 0.03 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.

1998 WT has 15 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Oct. 13, 2037 8,014,005 18.387
March 4, 2040 5,892,749 19.150
March 13, 2044 29,885,299 12.720
Oct. 5, 2072 26,354,209 13.547
Feb. 26, 2075 28,238,309 24.180
Oct. 15, 2076 10,771,529 19.968
March 7, 2079 7,157,289 17.538
Oct. 15, 2111 8,026,875 18.699
March 7, 2114 5,244,057 18.686
Oct. 13, 2146 10,578,452 17.149
March 4, 2149 10,756,446 20.448
Oct. 23, 2150 26,425,834 23.640
March 13, 2153 23,211,930 14.055
Oct. 16, 2185 8,220,610 18.911
March 7, 2188 5,320,002 18.534

Images and Observations

1998 WT's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 24, 1955. It was last officially observed on March 23, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 1,119 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 1998 WT:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.219 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5699
  • Inclination: 3.2°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 307.39°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 324.77°
  • Mean Anomaly: 232.39°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.994 km
  • Magnitude: 17.69

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 492 days (1.35 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 26.95 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.91 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.52 AU
  • Rotation Period: 10.24 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 22753 (1998 WT) 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 1998 WT 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.