Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 5,904,130 km of Earth in 2021
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2021 BS is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2021 BS 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 BS orbits the sun every 465 days (1.27 years), coming as close as 0.87 AU and reaching as far as 1.48 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2021 BS is probably between 0.020 to 0.045 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2021 BS's orbit is 0.04 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 BS has 4 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Jan. 20, 2021 5,904,130 11.039
July 3, 2026 19,270,602 12.011
Jan. 23, 2124 6,282,850 10.655
July 5, 2129 20,148,207 12.345

Images and Observations

2021 BS's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Jan. 11, 2021. It was last officially observed on Jan. 18, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 27 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 BS:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2459230.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.175 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.2555
  • Inclination: 15.62°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 115.78°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 76.14°
  • Mean Anomaly: 311.47°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.026 km
  • Magnitude: 25.59

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 465 days (1.27 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 27.49 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.48 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.87 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2021 BS 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.