377097 (2002 WQ4)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 377097 (2002 WQ4)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
  • Will pass within 12,109,728 km of Earth in 2024
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

377097 (2002 WQ4) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2002 WQ4 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2002 WQ4 orbits the sun every 1,000 days (2.74 years), coming as close as 0.87 AU and reaching as far as 3.05 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2002 WQ4 is probably between 0.307 to 0.686 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building.

The rotation of 2002 WQ4 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 36.00 hours.

Close Approaches

2002 WQ4'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.

2002 WQ4 has 10 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Dec. 26, 2024 12,109,728 14.284
March 27, 2066 15,204,925 9.692
Jan. 12, 2077 8,556,851 10.344
Dec. 24, 2087 20,933,875 16.000
May 1, 2118 28,403,727 17.133
April 7, 2129 11,522,877 10.352
Jan. 20, 2140 12,243,030 9.880
Dec. 23, 2150 24,643,421 16.761
May 2, 2181 29,340,024 17.406
April 14, 2192 8,551,079 11.410

Images and Observations

2002 WQ4's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Dec. 11, 1950. It was last officially observed on June 28, 2014. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 230 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 2002 WQ4:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.957 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5565
  • Inclination: 3.94°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 266.9°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 244.64°
  • Mean Anomaly: 176.92°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.396 km
  • Magnitude: 19.69

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,000 days (2.74 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 21.29 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.05 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.87 AU
  • Rotation Period: 36.00 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 377097 (2002 WQ4) 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 2002 WQ4 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.