Waldman

18021 Waldman (1999 JH127)

Space Reference » Main-belt Asteroids » Waldman

Key Facts

Overview

Waldman is a mid-sized asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter in the main portion of the asteroid belt. NASA JPL has not classified Waldman as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

Waldman orbits the sun every 1,660 days (4.54 years), coming as close as 2.46 AU and reaching as far as 3.04 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, Waldman is probably between 3.137 to 7.015 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the island of Manhattan.

No Close Approaches

Waldman's orbit is 1.45 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is an extremely 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

Waldman's orbit is determined by observations dating back to March 26, 1971. It was last officially observed on June 27, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 1,690 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 Waldman:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.748 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1063
  • Inclination: 4.1°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 117.53°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 232.55°
  • Mean Anomaly: 29.91°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~4.050 km
  • Magnitude: 14.64

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,660 days (4.54 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 18.01 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.04 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.46 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of Waldman 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 Waldman 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.