2022 OW3 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2022 OW3 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.
2022 OW3 orbits the sun every 360 days (0.99 years), coming as close as 0.77 AU and reaching as far as 1.21 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2022 OW3 is probably between 0.009 to 0.040 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.
2022 OW3's orbit is 0.01 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.
2022 OW3 has 13 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
|---|---|---|
| July 20, 2019 | 24,289,052 | 5.746 |
| July 30, 2020 | 15,519,236 | 6.099 |
| Aug. 2, 2021 | 6,568,887 | 7.110 |
| Aug. 1, 2022 | 1,905,424 | 8.268 |
| July 30, 2023 | 13,694,718 | 10.231 |
| July 26, 2024 | 26,172,129 | 12.464 |
| March 1, 2082 | 25,798,167 | 11.908 |
| Feb. 23, 2083 | 15,268,652 | 9.618 |
| Feb. 14, 2084 | 12,238,979 | 7.801 |
| Aug. 1, 2092 | 6,885,055 | 7.065 |
| July 31, 2093 | 4,519,528 | 8.680 |
| July 29, 2094 | 17,461,471 | 10.892 |
| July 30, 2163 | 19,697,022 | 11.283 |
2022 OW3's orbit is determined by observations dating back to July 29, 2022. It was last officially observed on Aug. 1, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 24 observations used to determine its orbit.
2022 OW3 can be reached with a journey of 386 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 9.328 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 29,660 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.
See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2022 OW3.
The position of 2022 OW3 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.