2016 VS5

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2016 VS5

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
  • Will pass within 28,751,975 km of Earth in 2045
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2016 VS5 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2016 VS5 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2016 VS5 orbits the sun every 790 days (2.16 years), coming as close as 0.99 AU and reaching as far as 2.35 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2016 VS5 is probably between 0.291 to 0.652 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building.

Close Approaches

2016 VS5'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.

2016 VS5 has 9 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
April 20, 2045 28,751,975 14.299
April 13, 2058 11,956,379 11.626
April 9, 2071 8,005,602 10.824
April 11, 2084 9,939,293 11.254
April 18, 2097 23,076,020 13.352
March 21, 2160 24,842,613 9.327
April 1, 2173 13,173,708 9.554
April 5, 2186 9,038,098 9.946
April 4, 2199 11,015,033 9.735

Images and Observations

2016 VS5's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 7, 2016. It was last officially observed on Oct. 23, 2020. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 132 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 2016 VS5:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.672 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4062
  • Inclination: 14.9°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 203.22°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 320.64°
  • Mean Anomaly: 17.4°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.376 km
  • Magnitude: 19.8

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 790 days (2.16 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 23.03 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.35 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.99 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2016 VS5 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 2016 VS5 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.