Key Facts

Overview

8838 (1989 UW2) is a large asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter in the main portion of the asteroid belt. NASA JPL has not classified 1989 UW2 as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

1989 UW2 orbits the sun every 2,030 days (5.56 years), coming as close as 3.12 AU and reaching as far as 3.17 AU from the sun. 1989 UW2 is about 14.3 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Cleveland, Ohio.

The rotation of 1989 UW2 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 42.67 hours.

No Close Approaches

1989 UW2's orbit is 2.12 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 UW2's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Aug. 14, 1977. It was last officially observed on Feb. 19, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 4,145 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 1989 UW2:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 3.142 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0075
  • Inclination: 11.14°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 205.27°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 59.66°
  • Mean Anomaly: 167.51°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 14.31400 km
  • Magnitude: 11.54
  • Albedo: 0.237

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 2,030 days (5.56 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 16.84 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.17 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 3.12 AU
  • Rotation Period: 42.67 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 8838 (1989 UW2) 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.