2021 LD6 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2021 LD6 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 LD6 orbits the sun every 359 days (0.98 years), coming as close as 0.89 AU and reaching as far as 1.09 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2021 LD6 is probably between 0.006 to 0.028 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.
2021 LD6's orbit is 0.00 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is very close to Earth's orbit.
2021 LD6 has 19 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
|---|---|---|
| Jan. 3, 2019 | 9,356,340 | 1.572 |
| Feb. 21, 2019 | 8,542,177 | 1.955 |
| Oct. 30, 2019 | 15,876,882 | 3.178 |
| April 21, 2020 | 12,427,192 | 2.568 |
| Sept. 12, 2020 | 15,002,694 | 2.891 |
| June 28, 2021 | 4,048,950 | 2.149 |
| June 28, 2022 | 8,643,199 | 4.589 |
| June 24, 2023 | 23,869,258 | 7.560 |
| Jan. 26, 2073 | 17,699,155 | 6.449 |
| Jan. 23, 2074 | 2,512,450 | 3.404 |
| Jan. 22, 2075 | 2,356,998 | 2.496 |
| Nov. 29, 2075 | 12,560,289 | 2.493 |
| March 9, 2076 | 11,367,595 | 2.381 |
| Oct. 19, 2076 | 15,646,508 | 3.175 |
| April 18, 2077 | 12,841,758 | 2.600 |
| Sept. 13, 2077 | 14,874,414 | 2.918 |
| June 5, 2078 | 8,429,815 | 1.900 |
| June 27, 2079 | 2,298,178 | 3.391 |
| June 21, 2080 | 24,631,186 | 7.722 |
NASA Sentry has assessed impact risk for 8 very close approach scenarios. Here are the top scenarios ordered by probability of impact:
| Date | Probability of Impact (%) | Impact Energy (Mt) |
|---|---|---|
| June 24, 2106 | 0.00672 | 0.04076 |
| June 23, 2106 | 0.00533 | 0.04076 |
| June 25, 2107 | 0.00280 | 0.04068 |
| June 25, 2108 | 0.00258 | 0.04081 |
| June 24, 2110 | 0.00010 | 0.04065 |
| June 24, 2109 | 0.00010 | 0.04072 |
| June 23, 2108 | 0.00008 | 0.04073 |
| Dec. 17, 2121 | 0.00003 | 0.04076 |
2021 LD6's orbit is determined by observations dating back to June 2, 2021. It was last officially observed on July 9, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 41 observations used to determine its orbit.
2021 LD6 can be reached with a journey of 362 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 3.901 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 1,290,723 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.
See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2021 LD6.
The position of 2021 LD6 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.