Asteroid 2017 WW1 to flyby Earth at a distance of 0.37 LD

A small asteroid designated 2017 WW1 will flyby Earth at a distance of 0.37 LD / 0.00094 AU (~140 621 km / 87 378 miles) at 19:18 UTC on November 21, 2017. This is 50^th known asteroid to flyby Earth within 1 lunar distance since the start of the year.

2017 WW1 was first observed at Mt. Lemmon Survey at 08:41 UTC on November 20, 2017. It belongs to the Apollo group of asteroids and has an estimated diameter between 3 and 6.8 m (9.8 to 22.3 feet).

This object will flyby Earth at a speed (relative to the Earth) of 12.66 km/s at 19:18 UTC today.

[ Ephemeris | Orbit Diagram | Orbital Elements | Physical Parameters | Close-Approach Data ]

This is the 4^th known asteroid to flyby Earth within 1 lunar distance this month, 15^th since October 2 and 50^th since the start of the year. It is also one of the smallest.

Reference

Asteroid 2017 WW1 at Minor Planet Center; CNEOS

Featured image: The green line indicates the object's apparent motion relative to the Earth, and the bright green marks are the object's location at approximately one-hour intervals. The Moon's orbit is grey. The blue arrow points in the direction of Earth's motion and the yellow arrow points toward the Sun. Credit: Minor Planet Center.