2006 VG13

Very small Aten-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Aten-class Asteroids » 2006 VG13

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 23,861,701 km of Earth in 2020
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2006 VG13 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2006 VG13 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2006 VG13 orbits the sun every 270 days (0.74 years), coming as close as 0.57 AU and reaching as far as 1.07 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2006 VG13 is probably between 0.091 to 0.408 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2006 VG13's orbit is 0.05 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.

2006 VG13 has 29 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Sept. 19, 2020 23,861,701 11.370
Oct. 23, 2023 17,938,063 6.034
Dec. 4, 2026 12,286,893 9.972
Sept. 19, 2037 18,818,035 9.751
Nov. 16, 2040 14,588,326 6.043
Dec. 1, 2043 27,667,753 13.422
Oct. 16, 2054 17,725,218 5.977
Dec. 3, 2057 15,699,658 10.717
Oct. 3, 2068 16,882,719 6.067
Dec. 4, 2071 12,158,741 9.866
Oct. 1, 2082 16,604,996 6.147
Dec. 3, 2085 10,657,048 9.496
Sept. 18, 2096 18,714,991 9.735
Nov. 3, 2099 17,261,730 6.064
Dec. 4, 2102 14,227,286 10.475
Sept. 29, 2116 16,614,902 6.198
Dec. 3, 2119 7,276,137 7.403
Oct. 4, 2133 17,023,921 6.057
Dec. 3, 2136 13,573,290 10.199
Oct. 25, 2147 17,703,854 6.016
Dec. 1, 2150 23,762,086 12.511
Sept. 20, 2158 24,679,889 11.474
Nov. 6, 2161 16,599,986 6.018
Dec. 1, 2164 23,128,243 12.434
Sept. 19, 2175 23,996,496 11.446
Oct. 9, 2178 17,501,647 6.042
Dec. 2, 2181 6,715,249 7.636
Sept. 19, 2195 23,819,686 11.395
Sept. 29, 2198 16,566,028 6.223

Images and Observations

2006 VG13's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 13, 2006. It was last officially observed on Nov. 4, 2020. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 50 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2006 VG13 can be reached with a journey of 370 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 11.239 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 801 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2006 VG13.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2006 VG13:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 0.8176 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.3036
  • Inclination: 5.86°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 96.53°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 115.21°
  • Mean Anomaly: 121.4°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.250 km
  • Magnitude: 21.4

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 270 days (0.74 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 32.94 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.07 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.57 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2006 VG13 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 2006 VG13 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.