2006 WB

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
• Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
• Will pass within 891,393 km of Earth in 2024
• Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

2006 WB is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2006 WB as a "Near Earth Asteroid" due to its orbit's proximity to Earth, but it is not considered potentially hazardous because computer simulations have not indicated any imminent likelihood of future collision.

2006 WB orbits the sun every 286 days (0.78 years), coming as close as 0.70 AU and reaching as far as 1.00 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2006 WB is probably between 0.048 to 0.214 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2006 WB's orbit is 0.00 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.

2006 WB has 14 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Images and Observations

2006 WB's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 16, 2006. It was last officially observed on Jan. 3, 2014. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 77 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2006 WB can be reached with a journey of 178 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 7.075 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 94,470 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2006 WB.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2006 WB:

• 2340 Hathor (1976 UA)
• 66400 (1999 LT7)
• 87309 (2000 QP)

References

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

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2006 WB 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 2006 WB 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.