17182 (1999 VU)

Mid-sized Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 17182 (1999 VU)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to Mount Everest (2.89 km diameter)
  • Will pass within 26,351,811 km of Earth in 2026
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

17182 (1999 VU) is a mid-sized asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 1999 VU 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 VU orbits the sun every 597 days (1.63 years), coming as close as 0.62 AU and reaching as far as 2.15 AU from the sun. 1999 VU is about 2.9 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to Mount Everest.

The rotation of 1999 VU has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 6.61 hours.

Close Approaches

1999 VU's orbit is 0.14 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 VU has 12 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
June 19, 2026 26,351,811 13.815
Dec. 25, 2035 24,286,438 14.737
Dec. 17, 2053 22,579,455 17.992
June 28, 2075 22,937,418 18.456
June 20, 2093 25,103,474 14.202
Jan. 1, 2103 28,394,522 13.437
Dec. 16, 2120 24,418,418 19.076
June 23, 2142 23,168,346 14.937
Dec. 30, 2151 26,405,939 13.948
Dec. 15, 2169 26,814,020 20.022
July 4, 2173 29,633,079 20.889
June 24, 2191 22,782,848 15.059

Images and Observations

1999 VU's orbit is determined by observations dating back to July 18, 1977. It was last officially observed on July 26, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 1,233 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 VU:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.387 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5535
  • Inclination: 9.27°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 333.51°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 203.2°
  • Mean Anomaly: 144.38°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 2.88500 km
  • Magnitude: 17.15
  • Albedo: 0.028

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 597 days (1.63 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 25.28 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.15 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.62 AU
  • Rotation Period: 6.61 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 17182 (1999 VU) 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 VU 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.