162269 (1999 VO6)

Mid-sized Apollo-class Asteroid

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Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 162269 (1999 VO6)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge (1.01 km diameter)
  • Will pass within 22,048,165 km of Earth in 2033
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

162269 (1999 VO6) is a mid-sized asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 1999 VO6 as a "Near Earth Asteroid" due to its orbit's proximity to Earth, but it is not considered potentially hazardous because computer simulations have not indicated any imminent likelihood of future collision.

1999 VO6 orbits the sun every 442 days (1.21 years), coming as close as 0.30 AU and reaching as far as 1.97 AU from the sun. Its orbit is highly elliptical. 1999 VO6 is about 1.0 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge.

Close Approaches

1999 VO6's orbit is 0.08 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is a wide berth between this asteroid and Earth at all times.

1999 VO6 has 10 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Oct. 10, 2033 22,048,165 33.661
Oct. 21, 2039 24,294,474 26.838
Oct. 18, 2062 13,351,560 29.072
Oct. 14, 2085 13,089,697 31.529
Oct. 11, 2108 23,057,162 33.895
Oct. 22, 2114 22,361,522 27.111
Oct. 19, 2137 12,679,402 29.084
Oct. 15, 2160 11,963,723 31.293
Oct. 11, 2183 23,043,433 33.932
Oct. 22, 2189 21,815,183 27.115

Images and Observations

1999 VO6's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Aug. 21, 1993. It was last officially observed on July 8, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 795 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

This asteroid is not considered a viable target for human exploration by the NHATS study.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 1999 VO6:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.135 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.7378
  • Inclination: 40.13°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 206.83°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 302.54°
  • Mean Anomaly: 207.33°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 1.01000 km
  • Magnitude: 16.98
  • Albedo: 0.274

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 442 days (1.21 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 27.94 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.97 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.30 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 162269 (1999 VO6) is indicated by a ◯ pink circle. Note that the object may not be in your current field of view. Use the controls below to adjust position, location, and time.

Size Rendering

The above comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 1999 VO6 to create an approximate landscape rendering with Mount Everest in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.