2023 WK3
Appearance
Discovery [1] | |
---|---|
Discovered by | Grzegorz Duszanowicz |
Discovery site | Moonbase South Observatory, Hakos |
Discovery date | 21 November 2023 (first observed only) |
Designations | |
2023 WK3 | |
NEO · Atira [1] | |
Orbital characteristics [2] | |
Epoch 13 September 2023 (JD 2460200.5) | |
Uncertainty parameter 7 | |
Observation arc | 22 days |
Aphelion | 0.9660 AU |
Perihelion | 0.3221 AU |
0.64407 AU | |
Eccentricity | 0.4999 |
0.5169 yr (188.80 d) | |
47.94° | |
1° 54m 24.48s / day | |
Inclination | 24.49° |
235.061° | |
11.117° | |
Earth MOID | 0.0376212 AU |
Physical characteristics | |
450–550 m (est. at 0.05–0.15) | |
20.5±0.4[2] | |
2023 WK3 is a near-Earth object of the Atira group.
Discovery
[edit]2023 WK3 was discovered at G=19.5 mag on 2023 November 21 by G. Duszanowicz using the 0.28-m f/1.9 reflector + CMOS camera of the Moonbase South Observatory, Hakos. MPC code L87 [3]
Orbit and classification
[edit]It orbits the Sun at a distance of 0.32–0.97 AU once every 6 months (189 days; semi-major axis of 0.64 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.5 and a somewhat high inclination of 24° with respect to the ecliptic.[2] It could be a fragment or a former moon of a larger present-day Atira.[4] On 18 November 2024, 2023 WK3 passed Earth at a distance of 6,160,000 km, equivalent to approximately 16 lunar distances.
Numbering and naming
[edit]As of 2024, this minor planet has neither been numbered nor named by the Minor Planet Center.
References
[edit]- ^ a b "2023 WK3". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
- ^ a b c "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: (2023 WK3)" (2023-12-13 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
- ^ "MPEC 2023-W132 : 2023 WK3". Minor Planet Electronic Circular. 26 November 2023. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
- ^ de la Fuente Marcos, Carlos; de la Fuente Marcos, Raúl (20 December 2023). "Baked before Breaking into Bits: Evidence for Atira-type Asteroid Splits". Research Notes of the American Astronomical Society. 7 (12): 278 (3 pages). Bibcode:2023RNAAS...7..278D. doi:10.3847/2515-5172/ad16de.
External links
[edit]- 2023 WK3 at NeoDyS-2, Near Earth Objects—Dynamic Site
- 2023 WK3 at the JPL Small-Body Database