2021 UC74 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2021 UC74 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 UC74 orbits the sun every 453 days (1.24 years), coming as close as 0.87 AU and reaching as far as 1.43 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2021 UC74 is probably between 0.005 to 0.024 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.
2021 UC74'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 UC74 has 10 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
|---|---|---|
| Oct. 13, 2021 | 1,736,540 | 7.385 |
| July 29, 2026 | 23,518,368 | 6.225 |
| May 16, 2031 | 5,878,076 | 7.959 |
| Oct. 19, 2068 | 11,741,971 | 9.688 |
| Oct. 13, 2125 | 3,446,249 | 6.863 |
| Oct. 12, 2146 | 4,853,485 | 6.572 |
| May 22, 2151 | 8,484,643 | 6.109 |
| Oct. 20, 2162 | 9,433,250 | 9.235 |
| May 7, 2172 | 28,105,559 | 12.708 |
| Oct. 16, 2183 | 1,232,854 | 7.492 |
2021 UC74's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 17, 2021. It was last officially observed on Oct. 30, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 14 observations used to determine its orbit.
2021 UC74 can be reached with a journey of 362 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 7.694 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 25,935 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.
See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2021 UC74.
The position of 2021 UC74 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.