Whithagins

28667 Whithagins (2000 GW53)

Space Reference » Main-belt Asteroids » Whithagins

Key Facts

Overview

Whithagins is a mid-sized asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter in the main portion of the asteroid belt. NASA JPL has not classified Whithagins as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

Whithagins orbits the sun every 1,700 days (4.65 years), coming as close as 2.47 AU and reaching as far as 3.11 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, Whithagins is probably between 2.242 to 5.012 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to Mount Everest.

No Close Approaches

Whithagins's orbit is 1.46 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

Whithagins's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 22, 1992. It was last officially observed on May 13, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 1,143 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 Whithagins:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.786 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1152
  • Inclination: 4.2°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 42.56°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 295.68°
  • Mean Anomaly: 250.91°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~2.894 km
  • Magnitude: 15.37

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,700 days (4.65 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 17.83 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.11 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.47 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of Whithagins 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 Whithagins 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.