101465 (1998 WL12)

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Mars-crossing Asteroid
• Comparable in size to the U.S. Pentagon (1.46 km diameter)
• Not a Near Earth Object
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

101465 (1998 WL12) is a mid-sized asteroid with an orbit that crosses the orbit of Mars. NASA JPL has not classified 1998 WL12 as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

1998 WL12 orbits the sun every 1,260 days (3.45 years), coming as close as 1.60 AU and reaching as far as 2.98 AU from the sun. 1998 WL12 is about 1.5 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the U.S. Pentagon.

The rotation of 1998 WL12 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 230.10 hours.

No Close Approaches

1998 WL12's orbit is 0.59 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is a very wide berth between this asteroid and Earth at all times.

Orbital simulations conducted by NASA JPL's CNEOS do not show any close approaches to Earth.

Images and Observations

1998 WL12's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 5, 1991. It was last officially observed on Dec. 25, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 1,169 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 1998 WL12:

• 18 Melpomene (A852 MA)
• 80 Sappho (A864 JA)
• 136 Austria (A874 FA)

References

• JPL Small Body Database
• Mission Design
• Sky Finder Chart

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 101465 (1998 WL12) 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 1998 WL12 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.