2021 HB2 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2021 HB2 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 HB2 orbits the sun every 334 days (0.91 years), coming as close as 0.82 AU and reaching as far as 1.06 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2021 HB2 is probably between 0.004 to 0.017 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.
2021 HB2's orbit is 0.01 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.
2021 HB2 has 18 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
|---|---|---|
| April 16, 2021 | 1,404,336 | 5.953 |
| Oct. 15, 2021 | 20,849,804 | 6.844 |
| Aug. 24, 2032 | 27,277,605 | 7.343 |
| April 15, 2042 | 2,268,786 | 6.159 |
| Oct. 21, 2042 | 21,096,437 | 6.826 |
| April 14, 2053 | 13,907,985 | 7.621 |
| April 16, 2064 | 29,804,905 | 10.208 |
| Sept. 18, 2087 | 20,026,843 | 6.728 |
| April 25, 2098 | 15,295,531 | 5.506 |
| Sept. 26, 2098 | 19,079,242 | 6.669 |
| April 23, 2109 | 12,788,777 | 5.463 |
| April 17, 2141 | 24,930,355 | 9.403 |
| April 15, 2152 | 11,864,627 | 7.354 |
| Nov. 4, 2152 | 24,097,129 | 6.879 |
| April 16, 2163 | 6,008,151 | 6.589 |
| Oct. 29, 2163 | 22,181,946 | 6.809 |
| April 17, 2174 | 21,835,688 | 8.867 |
| Nov. 22, 2174 | 27,615,822 | 6.693 |
2021 HB2's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 19, 2021. It was last officially observed on April 20, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 27 observations used to determine its orbit.
2021 HB2 can be reached with a journey of 362 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 7.086 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 69,509 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.
See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2021 HB2.
The position of 2021 HB2 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.