2001 VJ5

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2001 VJ5

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a basketball court
  • Will pass within 6,518,945 km of Earth in 2044
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2001 VJ5 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2001 VJ5 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2001 VJ5 orbits the sun every 982 days (2.69 years), coming as close as 0.85 AU and reaching as far as 3.02 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2001 VJ5 is probably between 0.106 to 0.237 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a basketball court.

Close Approaches

2001 VJ5's orbit is 0.03 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 VJ5 has 11 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Nov. 17, 2044 6,518,945 13.654
Jan. 13, 2053 24,329,998 10.216
March 15, 2061 17,127,999 14.568
Nov. 29, 2095 9,579,609 10.965
Feb. 29, 2104 16,029,264 10.531
Nov. 22, 2138 4,690,709 12.799
Feb. 4, 2147 23,039,346 9.877
March 25, 2155 28,881,357 17.636
Nov. 9, 2181 28,954,426 18.198
Dec. 17, 2189 18,655,052 9.879
March 6, 2198 13,693,312 11.176

Images and Observations

2001 VJ5's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 25, 2001. It was last officially observed on April 11, 2018. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 47 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 2001 VJ5:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.933 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5612
  • Inclination: 6.06°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 44.69°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 67.64°
  • Mean Anomaly: 28.99°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.137 km
  • Magnitude: 22.0

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 982 days (2.69 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 21.41 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.02 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.85 AU

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

⧉

Sky Map

The position of 2001 VJ5 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 VJ5 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.