529366 (2009 WM1)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 529366 (2009 WM1)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 16,953,396 km of Earth in 2050
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

529366 (2009 WM1) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2009 WM1 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2009 WM1 orbits the sun every 468 days (1.28 years), coming as close as 0.98 AU and reaching as far as 1.38 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2009 WM1 is probably between 0.219 to 0.490 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2009 WM1's orbit is 0.00 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is very close to Earth's orbit.

2009 WM1 has 10 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Nov. 28, 2050 16,953,396 14.986
Nov. 23, 2059 699,008 14.243
Dec. 1, 2081 27,803,701 15.858
Nov. 19, 2094 10,277,299 14.083
Nov. 25, 2116 6,187,362 14.389
Nov. 15, 2129 26,201,450 14.505
Nov. 27, 2151 9,544,164 14.536
Nov. 18, 2164 16,106,818 14.159
Dec. 2, 2186 26,405,108 15.707
Nov. 23, 2199 2,115,708 14.152

Images and Observations

2009 WM1's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 17, 2009. It was last officially observed on July 6, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 154 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 2009 WM1:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.18 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.169
  • Inclination: 25.77°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 240.25°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 162.64°
  • Mean Anomaly: 294.3°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.283 km
  • Magnitude: 20.42

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 468 days (1.28 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 27.43 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.38 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.98 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 529366 (2009 WM1) 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 2009 WM1 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.