SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2008 WB59

2008 WB59

2008 WB59 belongs to the Apollo group of near-Earth asteroids, whose orbits cross the path of Earth; with a semi-major axis of 1.045 AU it takes 1.07 yr to circle the Sun.

Apollo Observations: 576
Orbital Period · P
1.07 yr
v(q)
35.2 km/s
v(Q)
24.1 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.53 km
TJ
5.77
Eccentricity · e
0.188

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 0.849 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 1.241 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 0.392 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 1.045 AU gives an orbital period of 1.07 yr, or about 390 days.

An eccentricity of 0.188 makes the orbit moderately elongated.

A steep inclination of 25.64° carries it well above and below the ecliptic plane.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 35.2 km/s at perihelion and falls to 24.1 km/s at aphelion.

Because q < 1 AU and Q > 1 AU, this orbit geometrically intersects the region of Earth's orbit.

Size and surface

The measured diameter is 0.41 km, a value from direct size determination rather than from brightness alone.

A geometric albedo of 0.203 points to a comparatively bright, reflective surface.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 576 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.4271 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 0 means the orbit is very well determined, leaving only a small uncertainty in the future ephemeris.

About these computed values

Orbital periods, perihelion and aphelion speeds, and diameter estimates on this page are computed by SpaceAtlas from the JPL SBDB orbital elements. They are derived quantities, not values copied from the source catalogue.

Orbital Parameters

Semi-Major Axis
1.045 AU
Eccentricity
0.188
Perihelion
0.849 AU
Aphelion
1.24146 AU
Inclination
25.64°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
332.83°

Orbit diagram

The Sun sits at the focus (orange). Earth's orbit is the grey circle at 1 AU. The red dot marks the object's position at the catalog epoch.

3D orbit (interactive)

Drag to rotate; scroll or pinch to zoom. The Sun is at the focus (orange), Earth's orbit is the grey ring at 1 AU, and the red dot marks the object's current position.

Close approaches

Predicted close approaches to Earth, from NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS).

Date (UTC)Miss distanceVelocity
2040-May-19 15:27 0.161517 AU
24162627 km
15.43 km/s
2071-May-07 08:59 0.193606 AU
28963052 km
15.82 km/s

Distances in astronomical units (AU) and kilometres. Source: NASA/JPL CNEOS Close Approach Data API.

Physical Parameters

Diameter
0.407 km
Albedo
0.203
Density
— g/cm³
Rotation Period
— h
Absolute Magnitude
19.14

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.42707
Condition
0
Orbit ID
—
Data source: NASA JPL Small-Body Database · NASA CNEOS. Orbital periods, perihelion and aphelion speeds, and diameter estimates on this page are computed by SpaceAtlas from the JPL SBDB orbital elements. They are derived quantities, not values copied from the source catalogue.

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