2005 VR7

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2005 VR7

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 28,854,316 km of Earth in 2031
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2005 VR7 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2005 VR7 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2005 VR7 orbits the sun every 412 days (1.13 years), coming as close as 0.77 AU and reaching as far as 1.39 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2005 VR7 is probably between 0.154 to 0.345 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2005 VR7'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.

2005 VR7 has 21 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
June 1, 2031 28,854,316 19.159
June 4, 2040 17,331,324 17.484
June 6, 2049 8,851,132 16.274
Dec. 1, 2050 24,442,228 14.003
June 7, 2058 5,868,894 15.808
Dec. 2, 2059 21,681,955 14.183
June 6, 2067 8,336,227 16.214
Nov. 30, 2068 26,072,928 13.934
June 4, 2076 17,335,745 17.479
June 1, 2085 29,636,732 19.283
Dec. 18, 2114 23,213,203 18.884
June 12, 2122 28,306,661 13.036
Dec. 15, 2123 12,361,618 17.306
June 12, 2131 20,943,854 13.484
Dec. 12, 2132 7,100,034 16.455
June 11, 2140 19,359,322 13.607
Dec. 12, 2141 6,666,335 16.349
June 12, 2149 22,734,254 13.358
Dec. 13, 2150 9,289,996 16.842
Dec. 17, 2159 17,319,802 18.035
Dec. 20, 2168 28,862,534 19.737

Images and Observations

2005 VR7's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 7, 2005. It was last officially observed on April 1, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 43 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 2005 VR7:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.083 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.2872
  • Inclination: 25.25°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 254.86°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 101.09°
  • Mean Anomaly: 353.15°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.199 km
  • Magnitude: 21.18

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 412 days (1.13 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 28.60 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.39 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.77 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2005 VR7 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 2005 VR7 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.