2023 WK₃

2023 WK₃
Discovery
Discovered by	Grzegorz Duszanowicz
Discovery site	Moonbase South Observatory, Hakos
Discovery date	21 November 2023; (first observed only)
Designations
MPC designation	2023 WK3
Minor planet category	NEO · Atira
Orbital characteristics
	Epoch 13 September 2023 (JD 2460200.5)
	Uncertainty parameter 7
Observation arc	22 days
Aphelion	0.9660 AU
Perihelion	0.3221 AU
Semi-major axis	0.64407 AU
Eccentricity	0.4999
Orbital period (sidereal)	0.5169 yr (188.80 d)
Mean anomaly	47.94°
Mean motion	1° 54m 24.48s / day
Inclination	24.49°
Longitude of ascending node	235.061°
Argument of perihelion	11.117°
Earth MOID	0.0376212 AU
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter	450–550 m (est. at 0.05–0.15)
Absolute magnitude (H)	20.5±0.4

2023 WK₃ is a near-Earth object of the Atira group.

Discovery

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

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]

Numbering and naming

As of 2023, this minor planet has neither been numbered nor named by the Minor Planet Center.

References

^ ^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

2023 WK3 at NeoDyS-2, Near Earth Objects—Dynamic Site
- Ephemerides · Observation prediction · Orbital info · MOID · Proper elements · Observational info · Close approaches · Physical info · Orbit animation
2023 WK3 at the JPL Small-Body Database

[MPC-object-1] "2023 WK3". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 22 December 2023.

[jpldata-2] "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: (2023 WK3)" (2023-12-13 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 22 December 2023.

[MPEC-3] "MPEC 2023-W132 : 2023 WK3". Minor Planet Electronic Circular. 26 November 2023. Retrieved 22 December 2023.

[de_la_Fuente_Marcos-2023-4] 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.

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