2002 VU114

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2002 VU114

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 25,172,156 km of Earth in 2020
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2002 VU114 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2002 VU114 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.

2002 VU114 orbits the sun every 468 days (1.28 years), coming as close as 0.84 AU and reaching as far as 1.52 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2002 VU114 is probably between 0.048 to 0.214 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2002 VU114'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.

2002 VU114 has 22 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Nov. 25, 2020 25,172,156 12.410
May 7, 2026 18,962,289 11.149
April 28, 2035 5,344,748 7.825
April 19, 2044 8,809,057 6.255
March 18, 2053 18,595,777 6.148
Feb. 14, 2062 21,764,388 6.767
Jan. 12, 2071 18,218,553 5.930
Dec. 12, 2079 8,716,613 6.510
Dec. 3, 2088 9,070,425 8.707
Nov. 25, 2097 26,648,899 12.741
May 8, 2103 17,218,387 10.795
April 27, 2112 5,434,514 7.325
March 27, 2121 17,180,029 5.941
Feb. 17, 2130 21,766,880 6.787
Jan. 7, 2139 17,003,952 5.723
Dec. 8, 2147 6,954,801 7.592
Nov. 27, 2156 24,230,916 12.231
May 8, 2162 17,250,571 10.788
April 25, 2171 7,412,112 6.594
Feb. 29, 2180 21,340,798 6.689
Jan. 1, 2189 15,807,202 5.599
Dec. 2, 2197 13,904,290 9.989

Images and Observations

2002 VU114's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 15, 2002. It was last officially observed on Nov. 18, 2020. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 57 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2002 VU114 can be reached with a journey of 418 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 8.777 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 20,396 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2002 VU114.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2002 VU114:

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.18 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.2856
  • Inclination: 2.78°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 352.79°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 151.28°
  • Mean Anomaly: 22.38°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.131 km
  • Magnitude: 22.8

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 468 days (1.28 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 27.43 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.52 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.84 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2002 VU114 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 2002 VU114 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.