2021 JL4

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2021 JL4

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 15,881,713 km of Earth in 2021
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2021 JL4 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2021 JL4 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 JL4 orbits the sun every 423 days (1.16 years), coming as close as 0.70 AU and reaching as far as 1.50 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2021 JL4 is probably between 0.058 to 0.131 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2021 JL4'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 JL4 has 18 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
May 27, 2021 15,881,713 8.452
Nov. 30, 2022 12,752,622 9.112
May 26, 2043 12,085,106 9.177
Nov. 27, 2044 16,573,463 8.348
May 25, 2065 11,140,051 9.364
Nov. 27, 2066 17,219,014 8.223
May 27, 2087 15,952,618 8.451
Nov. 30, 2088 12,349,527 9.181
May 29, 2109 18,117,182 8.028
Dec. 2, 2110 10,554,727 9.555
May 28, 2131 14,978,776 8.620
Nov. 30, 2132 13,748,249 8.894
May 26, 2153 11,909,289 9.209
Nov. 29, 2154 16,565,792 8.338
May 28, 2175 13,563,464 8.891
Nov. 30, 2176 15,200,929 8.615
May 28, 2197 16,362,468 8.352
Dec. 2, 2198 12,477,784 9.180

Images and Observations

2021 JL4's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 9, 2021. It was last officially observed on Dec. 15, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 50 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 JL4:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.103 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.3614
  • Inclination: 4.69°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 234.0°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 105.25°
  • Mean Anomaly: 296.27°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.075 km
  • Magnitude: 23.29

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 423 days (1.16 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 28.37 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.50 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.70 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2021 JL4 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 JL4 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.