524594 (2003 NW1)

Small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 524594 (2003 NW1)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 20,032,039 km of Earth in 2052
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

524594 (2003 NW1) is a small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2003 NW1 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2003 NW1 orbits the sun every 1,380 days (3.78 years), coming as close as 0.86 AU and reaching as far as 3.98 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2003 NW1 is probably between 0.488 to 1.092 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 2003 NW1 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 37.70 hours.

Close Approaches

2003 NW1's orbit is 0.03 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.

2003 NW1 has 6 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Aug. 14, 2052 20,032,039 16.580
Oct. 18, 2067 23,308,611 11.258
Dec. 20, 2101 28,145,768 19.373
Aug. 20, 2135 18,642,244 15.497
Oct. 21, 2150 22,672,701 11.239
Dec. 8, 2184 2,826,317 14.343

Images and Observations

2003 NW1's orbit is determined by observations dating back to July 3, 2003. It was last officially observed on March 18, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 383 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 2003 NW1:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.424 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.6434
  • Inclination: 6.16°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 265.05°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 118.85°
  • Mean Anomaly: 103.43°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.630 km
  • Magnitude: 18.68

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,380 days (3.78 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 19.11 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.98 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.86 AU
  • Rotation Period: 37.70 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 524594 (2003 NW1) 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 2003 NW1 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.