2018 VZ6 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2018 VZ6 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 VZ6 orbits the sun every 384 days (1.05 years), coming as close as 0.70 AU and reaching as far as 1.37 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2018 VZ6 is probably between 0.018 to 0.040 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.
2018 VZ6's orbit is 0.02 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 VZ6 has 12 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
---|---|---|
May 13, 2022 | 25,070,807 | 7.831 |
June 12, 2023 | 27,988,368 | 14.980 |
Nov. 10, 2038 | 7,346,541 | 11.739 |
June 8, 2043 | 19,005,405 | 12.915 |
Nov. 13, 2059 | 16,270,012 | 7.926 |
May 28, 2063 | 15,774,469 | 9.067 |
Nov. 11, 2079 | 4,675,154 | 11.110 |
Nov. 13, 2100 | 5,977,290 | 9.708 |
Nov. 9, 2120 | 16,665,064 | 13.580 |
June 5, 2125 | 14,062,308 | 11.197 |
Nov. 14, 2141 | 9,152,560 | 9.100 |
Nov. 12, 2161 | 6,620,552 | 11.546 |
2018 VZ6's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 1, 2018. It was last officially observed on Nov. 11, 2018. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 28 observations used to determine its orbit.
The position of 2018 VZ6 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.