Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 9,288,702 km of Earth in 2034
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

443103 (2013 WT67) is a small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2013 WT67 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2013 WT67 orbits the sun every 385 days (1.05 years), coming as close as 0.84 AU and reaching as far as 1.23 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2013 WT67 is probably between 0.677 to 1.514 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 2013 WT67 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 135.00 hours.

Close Approaches

2013 WT67's orbit is 0.01 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.

2013 WT67 has 23 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Aug. 18, 2034 9,288,702 11.454
Feb. 4, 2036 28,279,583 11.317
Feb. 19, 2037 22,066,598 14.985
Aug. 11, 2053 23,700,466 14.821
Aug. 19, 2054 24,928,166 10.854
Feb. 9, 2056 11,907,217 11.716
Aug. 13, 2073 15,276,782 13.725
Feb. 12, 2076 5,287,916 12.172
Aug. 10, 2093 28,479,007 15.487
Aug. 19, 2094 18,588,914 11.002
Feb. 7, 2096 20,569,183 11.388
Feb. 21, 2097 28,158,919 15.828
Aug. 18, 2114 4,122,024 11.843
Feb. 18, 2117 15,783,709 14.171
Aug. 20, 2134 18,072,313 11.023
Feb. 8, 2136 18,980,207 11.420
Aug. 14, 2153 15,051,280 13.720
Feb. 13, 2156 4,364,494 12.240
Aug. 12, 2173 23,548,801 14.809
Aug. 21, 2174 23,582,432 10.884
Feb. 10, 2176 15,525,123 11.544
Aug. 19, 2194 8,212,389 11.529
Feb. 19, 2197 18,416,629 14.516

Images and Observations

2013 WT67's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 29, 2013. It was last officially observed on May 13, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 628 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 2013 WT67:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.035 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1922
  • Inclination: 21.47°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 322.76°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 99.03°
  • Mean Anomaly: 144.61°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.874 km
  • Magnitude: 17.97

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 385 days (1.05 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 29.25 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.23 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.84 AU
  • Rotation Period: 135.00 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 443103 (2013 WT67) 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 2013 WT67 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.