2018 VG3

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2018 VG3

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 13,540,985 km of Earth in 2042
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2018 VG3 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2018 VG3 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2018 VG3 orbits the sun every 677 days (1.85 years), coming as close as 0.53 AU and reaching as far as 2.49 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2018 VG3 is probably between 0.176 to 0.394 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2018 VG3'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.

2018 VG3 has 16 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Oct. 17, 2042 13,540,985 23.506
March 23, 2046 13,050,813 18.579
Oct. 11, 2055 10,840,366 19.451
March 18, 2059 3,338,679 21.791
Oct. 17, 2092 12,716,122 23.269
March 22, 2096 9,292,750 19.355
Oct. 4, 2105 28,417,673 15.719
March 11, 2109 27,710,478 26.717
Oct. 24, 2129 27,651,384 26.491
March 30, 2133 26,280,008 15.995
Oct. 11, 2142 14,638,902 18.601
March 16, 2146 13,876,482 23.903
Oct. 16, 2179 7,435,405 21.336
March 22, 2183 2,682,230 20.742
Oct. 9, 2192 19,233,139 17.659
March 17, 2196 12,706,377 23.676

Images and Observations

2018 VG3's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 5, 2018. It was last officially observed on Feb. 13, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 117 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 2018 VG3:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.508 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.6501
  • Inclination: 6.01°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 355.99°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 283.53°
  • Mean Anomaly: 275.2°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.228 km
  • Magnitude: 20.89

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 677 days (1.85 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 24.23 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.49 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.53 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2018 VG3 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 2018 VG3 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.