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(33342) 1998 WT24
Sub-kilometer asteroid / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(33342) 1998 WT24 is a bright, sub-kilometer asteroid, classified as near-Earth object and potentially hazardous asteroid (PHA) of the Aten group, located in Venus's zone of influence that has frequent close encounters with Mercury, Venus, and Earth.[1] It made a close approach to Earth on 11 December 2015, passing at a distance of about 4.2 million kilometers (2.6 million miles, 11 lunar distances)[10] and reaching about apparent magnitude 11.[11]
Quick Facts Discovery, Discovered by ...
![]() Tracks of asteroid 1998 WT24 | |
Discovery[1] | |
---|---|
Discovered by | LINEAR |
Discovery site | Lincoln Lab's ETS |
Discovery date | 25 November 1998 |
Designations | |
(33342) 1998 WT24 | |
1998 WT24 | |
Orbital characteristics[1] | |
Epoch 28 June 2009 (JD 2455010.5) | |
Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
Observation arc | 18.98 yr (6,933 days) |
Aphelion | 1.0187 AU |
Perihelion | 0.4182 AU |
0.7185 AU | |
Eccentricity | 0.4179 |
0.61 yr (222 days) | |
344.05° | |
1° 37m 6.24s / day | |
Inclination | 7.3419° |
82.000° | |
167.30° | |
Earth MOID | 0.0097 AU (3.8 LD) |
Physical characteristics | |
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Close
The asteroid was discovered on 25 November 1998 by LINEAR about four months after a close encounter with the planet Mercury (about 0.047 AU).[1] It measures approximately 400 meters in diameter. It is also one of the best studied PHAs and was the 10th Aten asteroid to be numbered.