162723 (2000 VM2)

Small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 162723 (2000 VM2)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 20,885,617 km of Earth in 2019
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

162723 (2000 VM2) is a small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2000 VM2 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.

2000 VM2 orbits the sun every 863 days (2.36 years), coming as close as 0.56 AU and reaching as far as 2.98 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2000 VM2 is probably between 0.756 to 1.691 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than ~97% of asteroids but small compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge.

The rotation of 2000 VM2 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 4.57 hours.

Close Approaches

2000 VM2's orbit is 0.11 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.

2000 VM2 has 7 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Dec. 3, 2019 20,885,617 17.826
Nov. 29, 2045 17,757,752 19.235
June 3, 2067 16,668,495 20.041
June 12, 2100 25,673,913 24.569
Nov. 26, 2104 16,549,326 21.182
May 30, 2126 21,594,749 17.891
Dec. 7, 2163 25,478,503 16.696

Images and Observations

2000 VM2's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 23, 1993. It was last officially observed on Oct. 30, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 928 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 2000 VM2:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.774 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.6816
  • Inclination: 6.39°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 329.81°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 187.38°
  • Mean Anomaly: 195.9°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.976 km
  • Magnitude: 17.73

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 863 days (2.36 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 22.36 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.98 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.56 AU
  • Rotation Period: 4.57 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 162723 (2000 VM2) 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 2000 VM2 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.