Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Jupiter Trojan
  • Comparable in size to the city of Denver (19.95 km diameter)
  • Not a Near Earth Object
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

23963 (1998 WY8) is a large asteroid that shares Jupiter's orbit around the sun. NASA JPL has not classified 1998 WY8 as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

1998 WY8 orbits the sun every 4,340 days (11.88 years), coming as close as 4.74 AU and reaching as far as 5.68 AU from the sun. 1998 WY8 is about 19.9 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Denver.

No Close Approaches

1998 WY8's orbit is 3.75 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is an extremely wide berth between this asteroid and Earth at all times.

Orbital simulations conducted by NASA JPL's CNEOS do not show any close approaches to Earth.

Images and Observations

1998 WY8's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 30, 1951. It was last officially observed on May 12, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 1,515 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 WY8:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 5.21 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.09
  • Inclination: 4.13°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 275.24°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 146.89°
  • Mean Anomaly: 54.79°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 19.94500 km
  • Magnitude: 11.84
  • Albedo: 0.102

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 4,340 days (11.88 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 13.06 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 5.68 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 4.74 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 23963 (1998 WY8) 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.