2009 VW

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2009 VW

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a basketball court
  • Will pass within 4,376,174 km of Earth in 2028
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2009 VW is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2009 VW as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2009 VW orbits the sun every 631 days (1.73 years), coming as close as 0.63 AU and reaching as far as 2.25 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2009 VW is probably between 0.119 to 0.265 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a basketball court.

Close Approaches

2009 VW'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.

2009 VW has 12 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Nov. 4, 2028 4,376,174 18.012
Nov. 13, 2047 26,922,787 22.980
April 25, 2049 12,185,613 19.873
May 1, 2068 6,063,748 17.006
May 7, 2087 17,268,955 14.514
Oct. 27, 2092 21,492,859 13.562
Nov. 7, 2111 4,429,411 18.217
May 1, 2132 4,626,953 17.517
Nov. 12, 2156 19,768,967 21.578
April 26, 2158 16,554,783 20.818
May 12, 2177 22,411,954 13.529
Nov. 3, 2182 10,496,445 15.768

Images and Observations

2009 VW's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 9, 2009. It was last officially observed on May 12, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 163 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 2009 VW:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.44 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5625
  • Inclination: 7.16°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 54.39°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 256.13°
  • Mean Anomaly: 38.14°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.153 km
  • Magnitude: 21.75

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 631 days (1.73 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 24.83 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.25 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.63 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2009 VW 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 2009 VW 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.