47035 (1998 WS)

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Mars-crossing Asteroid
• Comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay
• Not a Near Earth Object
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

47035 (1998 WS) is a mid-sized asteroid with an orbit that crosses the orbit of Mars. NASA JPL has not classified 1998 WS as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

1998 WS orbits the sun every 1,580 days (4.33 years), coming as close as 1.61 AU and reaching as far as 3.70 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 1998 WS is probably between 6.991 to 15.633 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay.

The rotation of 1998 WS has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 3.99 hours.

1998 WS's spectral type None (Tholen) / Sr (SMASSII) indicates that it is likely to contain and .

No Close Approaches

1998 WS's orbit is 0.84 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 WS's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 25, 1976. It was last officially observed on July 1, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 1,922 observations used to determine its orbit.

Scientists have been able to determine this object's shape:

View asteroid 47035 (1998 WS) in 3D.

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 WS:

• 26 Proserpina (A853 JA)
• 50 Virginia (A857 TA)
• 66 Maja (A861 GA)

References

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

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 47035 (1998 WS) 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.