SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2008 WC14

2008 WC14

2008 WC14 is an Amor-type near-Earth asteroid that approaches Earth from beyond our orbit without crossing it, orbiting the Sun at 3.202 AU once every 5.73 yr.

Amor Observations: 64
Orbital Period · P
5.73 yr
v(q)
36.7 km/s
v(Q)
7.5 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.36 km
TJ
2.73
Eccentricity · e
0.6594

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 1.091 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 5.313 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 4.222 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 3.202 AU gives an orbital period of 5.73 yr, or about 2,093 days.

The high eccentricity (0.659) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

A steep inclination of 21.05° carries it well above and below the ecliptic plane.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 36.7 km/s at perihelion and falls to 7.5 km/s at aphelion.

Its perihelion lies just outside Earth's orbit, which is why it is classed as Earth-approaching rather than Earth-crossing.

Size and surface

No direct size measurement is available; from an absolute magnitude of H = 20 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.36 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 64 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.5416 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 5 indicates a moderately constrained orbit; predictions decades ahead still carry noticeable uncertainty.

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
3.202 AU
Eccentricity
0.6594
Perihelion
1.091 AU
Aphelion
5.313399 AU
Inclination
21.05°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
18.06°

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
2031-Nov-02 10:49 0.328077 AU
49079680 km
19.17 km/s
2048-Dec-19 03:08 0.358729 AU
53665026 km
17.15 km/s

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

Physical Parameters

Diameter
— km
Albedo
—
Density
— g/cm³
Rotation Period
— h
Absolute Magnitude
20.0

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.54158
Condition
5
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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