2018 VN5

Very small Amor-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Amor-class Asteroids » 2018 VN5

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Amor-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 23,913,304 km of Earth in 2026
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2018 VN5 is a very small asteroid whose orbit approaches the orbit of Earth but does not cross it. NASA JPL has classified 2018 VN5 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 VN5 orbits the sun every 424 days (1.16 years), coming as close as 1.04 AU and reaching as far as 1.17 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2018 VN5 is probably between 0.014 to 0.065 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2018 VN5'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.

2018 VN5 has 16 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Feb. 9, 2026 23,913,304 2.549
April 13, 2033 25,330,334 3.280
June 15, 2040 18,817,002 2.485
Nov. 3, 2047 7,979,051 1.904
Feb. 16, 2055 24,290,218 2.625
April 27, 2062 24,201,753 3.242
July 17, 2069 15,781,689 1.538
Dec. 10, 2076 14,913,328 1.907
March 14, 2084 25,699,710 3.069
May 22, 2091 21,651,242 2.988
Oct. 22, 2098 8,404,389 2.039
Jan. 21, 2106 21,261,175 2.129
April 1, 2113 25,773,374 3.238
May 30, 2120 21,087,664 2.893
Oct. 20, 2127 9,260,674 2.128
Oct. 29, 2163 7,529,793 1.977

Images and Observations

2018 VN5's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 7, 2018. It was last officially observed on Feb. 5, 2019. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 102 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2018 VN5 can be reached with a journey of 378 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 6.478 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 352,313 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2018 VN5.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2018 VN5:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.104 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0581
  • Inclination: 3.56°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 235.54°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 149.11°
  • Mean Anomaly: 83.14°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.040 km
  • Magnitude: 25.4

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 424 days (1.16 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 28.33 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.17 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.04 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2018 VN5 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 VN5 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.