8359 (1989 WD)

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Main-belt Asteroid
• Comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay (8.23 km diameter)
• Not a Near Earth Object
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

8359 (1989 WD) is a mid-sized asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter in the main portion of the asteroid belt. NASA JPL has not classified 1989 WD as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

1989 WD orbits the sun every 1,320 days (3.61 years), coming as close as 2.19 AU and reaching as far as 2.51 AU from the sun. 1989 WD is about 8.2 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay.

The rotation of 1989 WD has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 2.89 hours.

No Close Approaches

1989 WD's orbit is 1.20 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

1989 WD's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 26, 1989. It was last officially observed on June 18, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 3,464 observations used to determine its orbit.

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

View asteroid 8359 (1989 WD) 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 1989 WD:

• 27 Euterpe (A853 VA)
• 169 Zelia (A876 SB)
• 219 Thusnelda (A880 SA)

References

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

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 8359 (1989 WD) 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.