2001 VC2

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2001 VC2

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 23,980,765 km of Earth in 2020
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2001 VC2 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2001 VC2 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2001 VC2 orbits the sun every 388 days (1.06 years), coming as close as 0.90 AU and reaching as far as 1.18 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2001 VC2 is probably between 0.096 to 0.429 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

The rotation of 2001 VC2 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 7.58 hours.

Close Approaches

2001 VC2's orbit is 0.02 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.

2001 VC2 has 25 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
June 10, 2020 23,980,765 10.475
Dec. 2, 2035 14,591,564 6.799
June 9, 2037 21,539,154 10.107
Nov. 27, 2052 18,976,793 6.701
April 29, 2053 29,199,832 6.823
June 12, 2054 27,927,430 11.116
Nov. 17, 2069 26,405,238 6.685
May 16, 2070 19,895,972 6.617
Dec. 9, 2085 25,083,162 10.439
May 21, 2087 14,548,155 6.635
Dec. 10, 2102 28,674,165 11.050
Nov. 17, 2103 27,333,725 6.671
May 17, 2104 18,922,605 6.612
Nov. 27, 2120 19,941,827 6.688
May 2, 2121 28,262,758 6.817
June 13, 2122 27,890,228 11.108
Dec. 2, 2137 14,839,738 6.782
June 11, 2139 21,625,818 10.126
Dec. 1, 2154 16,232,774 6.748
June 11, 2156 24,103,612 10.498
Nov. 24, 2171 23,053,359 6.682
May 10, 2172 24,224,474 6.713
Dec. 10, 2187 26,775,016 10.711
Nov. 13, 2188 29,283,032 6.667
May 20, 2189 16,048,158 6.614

Images and Observations

2001 VC2's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 7, 2001. It was last officially observed on June 1, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 405 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2001 VC2 can be reached with a journey of 362 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 10.0 km/s. To put this into perspective, the delta-v to launch a rocket to Low-Earth Orbit is 9.7 km/s. There are 3,281 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2001 VC2.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2001 VC2:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.041 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1322
  • Inclination: 12.51°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 67.05°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 103.87°
  • Mean Anomaly: 88.85°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.263 km
  • Magnitude: 21.29

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 388 days (1.06 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 29.19 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.18 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.90 AU
  • Rotation Period: 7.58 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2001 VC2 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 2001 VC2 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.