2020 VZ5

Very small Aten-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Aten-class Asteroids » 2020 VZ5

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 16,472,836 km of Earth in 2025
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2020 VZ5 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2020 VZ5 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2020 VZ5 orbits the sun every 306 days (0.84 years), coming as close as 0.63 AU and reaching as far as 1.15 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2020 VZ5 is probably between 0.162 to 0.361 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2020 VZ5's orbit is 0.03 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.

2020 VZ5 has 14 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Nov. 27, 2025 16,472,836 12.461
Nov. 26, 2030 9,761,047 14.933
Nov. 29, 2051 21,988,259 12.176
Nov. 25, 2056 6,546,627 14.388
Nov. 27, 2077 14,324,911 12.604
Nov. 27, 2082 16,142,273 15.932
Dec. 3, 2098 29,243,404 11.979
Nov. 27, 2103 4,848,765 13.823
Nov. 28, 2124 17,513,937 12.392
Nov. 27, 2129 12,379,737 15.339
Nov. 27, 2150 9,083,570 13.074
Nov. 29, 2155 19,570,504 16.491
Nov. 27, 2176 12,132,017 12.778
Nov. 28, 2181 14,365,677 15.656

Images and Observations

2020 VZ5's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 14, 2020. It was last officially observed on March 7, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 114 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 2020 VZ5:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 0.889 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.293
  • Inclination: 22.63°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 246.15°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 44.68°
  • Mean Anomaly: 245.41°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.209 km
  • Magnitude: 21.08

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 306 days (0.84 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 31.61 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.15 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.63 AU

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

⧉

Sky Map

The position of 2020 VZ5 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 2020 VZ5 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.