Asteroid 2018 WA3 flew past Earth at 0.84 LD
Asteroid 2018 WA3, with an estimated diameter between 7.3 and 16 m (24 – 52 feet), flew past Earth at a distance of 0.84 LD / 0.00215 AU (323 131 km / 200 784 miles) on November 28, 2018.
This object belongs to the Apollo group of asteroids. It was first observed at Mt. Lemmon Survey, Arizona on November 29, one day after its close approach. However, information about this flyby was released early December 5 (UTC).
The asteroid flew past us at a speed of 16.40 km/s (relative to the Earth) at 04:11 UTC.
[ Ephemeris | Orbit Diagram | Orbital Elements | Mission Design | Physical Parameters | Close-Approach Data ]
This is the 15th known <1LD asteroid to flyby Earth during the month of November. The only month this year with nearly as much <1LD flybys is September with a total of 13 such flybys.
2018 WA3 is now the 72nd known asteroid to flyby Earth within 1 lunar distance since the start of the year (data valid 08:56 UTC, December 3).
Image credit: TW
References:
Asteroid 2018 WA3 at Minor Planet Center; at 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 half 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
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