Key Facts

Overview

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

Wightman orbits the sun every 1,750 days (4.79 years), coming as close as 2.61 AU and reaching as far as 3.08 AU from the sun. Wightman is about 8.4 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay.

No Close Approaches

Wightman's orbit is 1.61 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

Wightman's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 4, 1951. It was last officially observed on July 4, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 3,727 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 Wightman:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.846 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.082
  • Inclination: 1.52°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 202.11°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 156.15°
  • Mean Anomaly: 348.47°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 8.36000 km
  • Magnitude: 12.83
  • Albedo: 0.277

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,750 days (4.79 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 17.69 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.08 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.61 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Wightman 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.