2023 WK3 is a near-Earth object of the Atira group.
| 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] | |
Discovery
edit2023 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
editIt 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
editAs 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
 | This asteroid-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |