2017 WE72

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Main-belt Asteroid
• Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
• Not a Near Earth Object
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

2017 WE72 is a very small asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter in the main portion of the asteroid belt. NASA JPL has not classified 2017 WE72 as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

2017 WE72 orbits the sun every 1,540 days (4.22 years), coming as close as 1.95 AU and reaching as far as 3.28 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2017 WE72 is probably between 0.364 to 0.813 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building.

No Close Approaches

2017 WE72's orbit is 0.96 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

2017 WE72's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 17, 2017. It was last officially observed on Nov. 6, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 26 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 2017 WE72:

• 53 Kalypso (A858 GA)
• 70 Panopaea (A861 JA)
• 78 Diana (A863 EA)

References

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

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2017 WE72 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.

Size Rendering

The below comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 2017 WE72 to create an approximate landscape rendering with New York City in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.