2016 VS is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2016 VS 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.
2016 VS orbits the sun every 374 days (1.02 years), coming as close as 0.68 AU and reaching as far as 1.35 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2016 VS is probably between 0.006 to 0.026 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.
2016 VS's orbit is 0.00 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.
2016 VS has 20 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
|---|---|---|
| June 8, 2025 | 14,485,882 | 7.117 |
| June 12, 2026 | 7,645,510 | 11.079 |
| June 18, 2027 | 28,196,659 | 15.299 |
| Nov. 3, 2057 | 21,292,417 | 14.101 |
| Nov. 9, 2058 | 3,264,514 | 9.207 |
| Oct. 26, 2059 | 28,979,612 | 6.146 |
| June 7, 2065 | 17,975,606 | 6.491 |
| June 12, 2066 | 9,708,534 | 11.557 |
| Nov. 3, 2092 | 21,099,485 | 14.063 |
| Nov. 10, 2093 | 5,871,660 | 8.684 |
| June 20, 2099 | 28,764,683 | 5.810 |
| June 10, 2100 | 4,583,992 | 10.384 |
| Nov. 3, 2121 | 23,404,183 | 14.600 |
| Nov. 12, 2122 | 11,374,365 | 7.648 |
| May 12, 2127 | 29,344,467 | 5.521 |
| June 20, 2127 | 28,716,198 | 5.751 |
| June 11, 2128 | 6,634,134 | 10.949 |
| Nov. 7, 2148 | 8,577,368 | 11.608 |
| June 8, 2154 | 8,714,843 | 8.358 |
| June 18, 2155 | 27,707,610 | 15.286 |
2016 VS's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 5, 2016. It was last officially observed on Nov. 7, 2016. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 32 observations used to determine its orbit.
2016 VS can be reached with a journey of 450 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 9.502 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 8,589 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.
See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2016 VS.
The position of 2016 VS 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.