1998 VE31

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

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Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 1998 VE31

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 19,377,357 km of Earth in 2025
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

1998 VE31 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 1998 VE31 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.

1998 VE31 orbits the sun every 393 days (1.08 years), coming as close as 0.85 AU and reaching as far as 1.25 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 1998 VE31 is probably between 0.176 to 0.393 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

1998 VE31's orbit is 0.12 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.

1998 VE31 has 22 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
May 7, 2025 19,377,357 13.671
Nov. 9, 2026 26,703,037 12.125
May 8, 2039 19,038,168 13.611
Nov. 8, 2040 26,678,101 12.167
May 8, 2053 18,766,139 13.551
Nov. 8, 2054 26,680,549 12.208
May 10, 2067 18,559,509 13.493
Nov. 7, 2068 26,703,931 12.243
May 10, 2081 18,432,521 13.454
Nov. 7, 2082 26,728,681 12.271
May 10, 2095 18,411,103 13.450
Nov. 7, 2096 26,712,736 12.276
May 10, 2109 18,506,961 13.488
Nov. 9, 2110 26,626,843 12.248
May 9, 2123 18,906,977 13.598
Nov. 9, 2124 26,575,569 12.172
May 6, 2137 20,129,207 13.827
Nov. 11, 2138 26,740,668 12.040
May 3, 2151 22,979,605 14.244
Nov. 12, 2152 27,656,478 11.881
April 28, 2165 28,298,780 14.949
June 2, 2194 28,693,073 12.914

Images and Observations

1998 VE31's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 13, 1998. It was last officially observed on Dec. 2, 2012. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 97 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 1998 VE31:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.051 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1902
  • Inclination: 21.95°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 57.3°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 219.52°
  • Mean Anomaly: 135.33°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.227 km
  • Magnitude: 20.9

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 393 days (1.08 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 29.09 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.25 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.85 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 1998 VE31 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 1998 VE31 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.