2008 WB59

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2008 WB59

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building (0.41 km diameter)
  • Will pass within 29,575,598 km of Earth in 2024
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2008 WB59 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2008 WB59 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.

2008 WB59 orbits the sun every 390 days (1.07 years), coming as close as 0.85 AU and reaching as far as 1.24 AU from the sun. 2008 WB59 is about 0.4 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building.

Close Approaches

2008 WB59's orbit is 0.16 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.

2008 WB59 has 8 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
May 5, 2024 29,575,598 15.861
May 19, 2040 24,163,007 15.429
May 7, 2071 28,963,481 15.820
May 21, 2087 24,210,948 15.416
May 9, 2118 28,293,870 15.783
May 22, 2134 24,232,081 15.410
May 9, 2165 28,124,338 15.772
May 23, 2181 24,332,612 15.406

Images and Observations

2008 WB59's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 23, 2008. It was last officially observed on Feb. 11, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 240 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 2008 WB59:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.045 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.188
  • Inclination: 25.65°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 60.49°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 188.89°
  • Mean Anomaly: 130.06°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 0.40700 km
  • Magnitude: 19.32
  • Albedo: 0.203

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 390 days (1.07 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 29.15 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.24 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.85 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2008 WB59 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 2008 WB59 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.