184266 (2004 VW14)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 184266 (2004 VW14)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
  • Will pass within 17,701,911 km of Earth in 2042
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

184266 (2004 VW14) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2004 VW14 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2004 VW14 orbits the sun every 1,130 days (3.09 years), coming as close as 0.85 AU and reaching as far as 3.39 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2004 VW14 is probably between 0.336 to 0.752 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building.

The rotation of 2004 VW14 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 2.50 hours.

Close Approaches

2004 VW14's orbit is 0.01 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.

2004 VW14 has 6 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
March 11, 2042 17,701,911 10.366
Feb. 25, 2076 21,703,689 10.822
March 7, 2113 19,090,374 10.400
Jan. 14, 2147 13,726,605 10.680
April 20, 2150 20,252,799 16.316
Feb. 14, 2184 20,677,011 10.618

Images and Observations

2004 VW14's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 3, 2004. It was last officially observed on May 23, 2011. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 584 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 2004 VW14:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.121 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5975
  • Inclination: 3.83°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 100.83°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 42.79°
  • Mean Anomaly: 12.57°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.434 km
  • Magnitude: 19.49

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,130 days (3.09 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 20.42 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.39 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.85 AU
  • Rotation Period: 2.50 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 184266 (2004 VW14) 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 below comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 2004 VW14 to create an approximate landscape rendering with New York City in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.