Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 24,891,632 km of Earth in 2020
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2021 LR2 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2021 LR2 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 LR2 orbits the sun every 375 days (1.03 years), coming as close as 0.78 AU and reaching as far as 1.26 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2021 LR2 is probably between 0.017 to 0.078 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2021 LR2's orbit is 0.03 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 LR2 has 5 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
May 30, 2020 24,891,632 6.647
May 19, 2021 5,871,381 8.382
May 22, 2022 20,535,817 11.951
May 19, 2062 5,668,615 9.095
May 24, 2063 26,029,393 12.945

Images and Observations

2021 LR2's orbit is determined by observations dating back to June 5, 2021. It was last officially observed on June 11, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 21 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2021 LR2 can be reached with a journey of 378 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 11.112 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 122 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2021 LR2.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2021 LR2:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.017 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.2347
  • Inclination: 11.62°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 245.48°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 245.01°
  • Mean Anomaly: 175.91°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.048 km
  • Magnitude: 24.99

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 375 days (1.03 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 29.50 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.26 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.78 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2021 LR2 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 LR2 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.