SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2017 WY12

2017 WY12

2017 WY12 is an Amor-type near-Earth asteroid that approaches Earth from beyond our orbit without crossing it, orbiting the Sun at 2.479 AU once every 3.90 yr.

Amor Observations: 65
Orbital Period · P
3.90 yr
v(q)
35 km/s
v(Q)
10.2 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.18 km
TJ
3.24
Eccentricity · e
0.5471

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 1.123 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 3.835 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 2.712 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 2.479 AU gives an orbital period of 3.90 yr, or about 1,426 days.

The high eccentricity (0.547) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

The orbital plane is tilted 7.98° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 35 km/s at perihelion and falls to 10.2 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 = 21.51 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.18 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 65 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.4395 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
2.479 AU
Eccentricity
0.5471
Perihelion
1.123 AU
Aphelion
3.835261 AU
Inclination
7.98°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
55.13°

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
2056-Nov-27 20:00 0.376236 AU
56284065 km
14.38 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
21.51

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.43947
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.

Keep exploring

Explore asteroids, comets and near-Earth objects with JPL orbital data.