523814 (2008 WN2)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 523814 (2008 WN2)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 12,218,614 km of Earth in 2036
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

523814 (2008 WN2) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2008 WN2 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2008 WN2 orbits the sun every 617 days (1.69 years), coming as close as 0.98 AU and reaching as far as 1.86 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2008 WN2 is probably between 0.120 to 0.536 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2008 WN2's orbit is 0.05 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.

2008 WN2 has 7 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
April 4, 2036 12,218,614 7.442
Jan. 31, 2058 9,631,836 4.900
March 30, 2085 8,235,275 6.263
March 19, 2107 7,637,197 4.866
Feb. 23, 2129 9,482,358 4.486
Jan. 18, 2151 12,844,747 6.759
March 20, 2178 7,458,864 4.894

Images and Observations

2008 WN2's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 24, 2008. It was last officially observed on Sept. 20, 2018. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 260 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2008 WN2 can be reached with a journey of 354 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 10.293 km/s. To put this into perspective, the delta-v to launch a rocket to Low-Earth Orbit is 9.7 km/s. There are 1,380 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2008 WN2.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2008 WN2:

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.418 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.3119
  • Inclination: 3.75°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 227.09°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 283.39°
  • Mean Anomaly: 222.5°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.328 km
  • Magnitude: 20.81

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 617 days (1.69 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 25.00 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.86 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.98 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 523814 (2008 WN2) 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 2008 WN2 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.