2021 BJ1

Very small Aten-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Aten-class Asteroids » 2021 BJ1

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 9,168,482 km of Earth in 2021
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2021 BJ1 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2021 BJ1 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.

2021 BJ1 orbits the sun every 280 days (0.77 years), coming as close as 0.46 AU and reaching as far as 1.21 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2021 BJ1 is probably between 0.035 to 0.078 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2021 BJ1'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.

2021 BJ1 has 15 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Jan. 27, 2021 9,168,482 12.326
Nov. 5, 2026 29,519,638 11.797
Jan. 25, 2031 29,720,109 19.643
Jan. 20, 2034 22,184,319 10.897
Jan. 28, 2044 14,741,087 16.449
Jan. 28, 2057 4,955,227 13.339
Jan. 22, 2070 19,061,713 11.070
Nov. 5, 2075 29,676,699 14.154
Jan. 27, 2080 17,294,908 16.967
Jan. 28, 2093 4,864,728 13.420
Jan. 29, 2116 13,058,824 16.046
Jan. 29, 2129 6,803,531 12.814
Nov. 7, 2134 29,278,663 11.843
Jan. 27, 2139 26,042,579 18.841
Jan. 30, 2152 5,496,140 14.189

Images and Observations

2021 BJ1's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Jan. 11, 2021. It was last officially observed on Jan. 31, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 57 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 2021 BJ1:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 0.8371 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4446
  • Inclination: 11.48°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 120.48°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 145.01°
  • Mean Anomaly: 55.54°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.045 km
  • Magnitude: 24.4

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 280 days (0.77 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 32.52 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.21 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.46 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2021 BJ1 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 2021 BJ1 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.