2021 RS2 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2021 RS2 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 RS2 orbits the sun every 546 days (1.49 years), coming as close as 0.65 AU and reaching as far as 1.97 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2021 RS2 is probably between 0.002 to 0.005 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.
The rotation of 2021 RS2 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 0.01 hours.
2021 RS2'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 RS2 has 16 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
|---|---|---|
| March 22, 2019 | 11,469,950 | 15.389 |
| Sept. 8, 2021 | 21,705 | 17.602 |
| Sept. 4, 2024 | 9,880,832 | 18.304 |
| Sept. 1, 2027 | 21,459,055 | 20.416 |
| March 19, 2080 | 24,408,530 | 21.007 |
| March 16, 2083 | 13,115,938 | 18.864 |
| March 12, 2086 | 4,564,802 | 17.035 |
| March 9, 2089 | 6,476,806 | 15.680 |
| March 5, 2092 | 14,800,374 | 14.124 |
| Feb. 28, 2095 | 25,045,506 | 12.449 |
| Sept. 17, 2133 | 20,538,572 | 13.020 |
| Sept. 13, 2136 | 10,703,053 | 14.676 |
| Sept. 11, 2139 | 2,555,909 | 16.107 |
| Sept. 10, 2142 | 890,328 | 16.460 |
| Sept. 14, 2145 | 12,254,861 | 14.406 |
| Sept. 19, 2148 | 24,659,889 | 12.329 |
2021 RS2's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 7, 2021. It was last officially observed on Sept. 8, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 41 observations used to determine its orbit.
The position of 2021 RS2 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.