2018 PZ21 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2018 PZ21 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.
2018 PZ21 orbits the sun every 289 days (0.79 years), coming as close as 0.64 AU and reaching as far as 1.08 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2018 PZ21 is probably between 0.008 to 0.036 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.
2018 PZ21's orbit is 0.00 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is very close to Earth's orbit.
2018 PZ21 has 16 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
|---|---|---|
| Oct. 6, 2022 | 9,517,803 | 5.018 |
| Oct. 17, 2026 | 29,283,313 | 11.843 |
| July 30, 2037 | 20,984,272 | 10.441 |
| Aug. 9, 2041 | 6,110,951 | 5.175 |
| Oct. 14, 2045 | 7,989,452 | 5.642 |
| July 29, 2060 | 11,714,532 | 8.533 |
| Aug. 1, 2064 | 3,611,326 | 5.672 |
| Aug. 13, 2068 | 9,317,017 | 5.068 |
| Sept. 3, 2072 | 12,337,794 | 5.073 |
| Sept. 26, 2076 | 11,428,989 | 5.041 |
| Oct. 14, 2080 | 7,945,079 | 5.867 |
| Oct. 18, 2084 | 12,635,862 | 8.158 |
| Oct. 16, 2088 | 24,601,513 | 11.006 |
| July 29, 2111 | 19,165,802 | 10.197 |
| July 29, 2115 | 3,281,427 | 6.956 |
| July 30, 2119 | 678,945 | 6.260 |
NASA Sentry has assessed impact risk for 25 very close approach scenarios. Here are the top scenarios ordered by probability of impact:
| Date | Probability of Impact (%) | Impact Energy (Mt) |
|---|---|---|
| July 27, 2064 | 0.00300 | 0.1009 |
| July 29, 2119 | 0.00045 | 0.1016 |
| July 29, 2104 | 0.00009 | 0.1013 |
| July 28, 2096 | 0.00009 | 0.1019 |
| July 29, 2087 | 0.00006 | 0.1011 |
| July 29, 2087 | 0.00005 | 0.1018 |
| July 27, 2081 | 0.00004 | 0.101 |
| July 29, 2081 | 0.00003 | 0.1005 |
| July 29, 2098 | 0.00003 | 0.1009 |
| July 29, 2108 | 0.00002 | 0.1018 |
| July 28, 2083 | 0.00002 | 0.1019 |
| July 29, 2107 | 0.00002 | 0.102 |
| July 28, 2099 | 0.00002 | 0.1021 |
| July 29, 2104 | 0.00001 | 0.102 |
| July 31, 2057 | 0.00001 | 0.09952 |
| July 29, 2108 | 0.00001 | 0.1011 |
| July 27, 2073 | 0.00001 | 0.1008 |
| July 28, 2108 | 0.00001 | 0.1018 |
| July 29, 2108 | 0.00001 | 0.1018 |
| July 31, 2045 | 0.00001 | 0.1017 |
| July 29, 2122 | 0.00001 | 0.1018 |
| July 29, 2108 | 0.00001 | 0.1011 |
| July 29, 2098 | 0.00000 | 0.101 |
| July 28, 2120 | 0.00000 | 0.1018 |
| July 30, 2052 | 0.00000 | 0.09963 |
2018 PZ21's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Aug. 11, 2018. It was last officially observed on Sept. 5, 2018. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 19 observations used to determine its orbit.
2018 PZ21 can be reached with a journey of 290 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 8.675 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 77,843 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.
See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2018 PZ21.
The position of 2018 PZ21 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.