2010 VG1

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2010 VG1

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 11,081,694 km of Earth in 2022
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2010 VG1 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2010 VG1 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2010 VG1 orbits the sun every 809 days (2.21 years), coming as close as 0.80 AU and reaching as far as 2.60 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2010 VG1 is probably between 0.196 to 0.439 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

The rotation of 2010 VG1 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 11.10 hours.

Close Approaches

2010 VG1'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.

2010 VG1 has 10 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
March 6, 2022 11,081,694 16.128
Oct. 9, 2030 26,809,048 18.251
March 5, 2053 9,400,091 15.733
Oct. 10, 2061 23,478,498 17.299
March 12, 2084 26,307,800 19.327
Oct. 18, 2092 18,536,486 13.574
Feb. 15, 2104 25,497,663 10.604
Feb. 28, 2135 10,240,675 13.207
Feb. 26, 2166 13,801,167 12.441
Oct. 24, 2185 22,763,875 11.927

Images and Observations

2010 VG1's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 3, 2010. It was last officially observed on May 4, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 308 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 2010 VG1:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.699 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5317
  • Inclination: 12.37°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 353.84°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 100.54°
  • Mean Anomaly: 268.16°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.253 km
  • Magnitude: 20.66

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 809 days (2.21 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 22.85 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.60 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.80 AU
  • Rotation Period: 11.10 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2010 VG1 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 2010 VG1 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.