2021 LE

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
• Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
• Will pass within 4,833,439 km of Earth in 2021
• Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

2021 LE is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2021 LE 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 LE orbits the sun every 485 days (1.33 years), coming as close as 0.80 AU and reaching as far as 1.61 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2021 LE is probably between 0.016 to 0.069 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2021 LE's orbit is 0.01 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 LE has 3 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Images and Observations

2021 LE's orbit is determined by observations dating back to June 1, 2021. It was last officially observed on June 3, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 21 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2021 LE can be reached with a journey of 426 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 10.561 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 3,237 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2021 LE.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2021 LE:

• 3361 Orpheus (1982 HR)
• 66407 (1999 LQ28)
• 87024 (2000 JS66)

References

• JPL Small Body Database
• Mission Design
• Sky Finder Chart

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2021 LE 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 LE 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.