2021 UF1

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2021 UF1

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
  • Will pass within 5,629,016 km of Earth in 2021
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2021 UF1 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2021 UF1 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 UF1 orbits the sun every 380 days (1.04 years), coming as close as 0.74 AU and reaching as far as 1.31 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2021 UF1 is probably between 0.026 to 0.058 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2021 UF1'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 UF1 has 18 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Nov. 6, 2021 5,629,016 10.499
April 23, 2025 26,258,808 9.583
May 22, 2026 19,170,745 12.760
Nov. 1, 2046 23,975,546 14.732
Nov. 6, 2047 14,539,199 9.242
May 28, 2052 28,505,166 14.682
Nov. 4, 2072 8,610,456 12.031
Nov. 5, 2098 8,183,210 11.924
Oct. 31, 2099 29,071,659 8.326
May 16, 2103 15,169,094 11.091
Nov. 3, 2124 20,342,471 14.088
Nov. 6, 2125 16,815,597 9.007
Nov. 8, 2151 7,384,030 10.188
May 24, 2156 20,092,831 12.907
Nov. 2, 2176 27,861,170 15.422
Nov. 7, 2177 10,885,305 9.672
May 3, 2181 21,316,927 9.806
May 27, 2182 25,028,428 13.946

Images and Observations

2021 UF1's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 25, 2021. It was last officially observed on Nov. 13, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 70 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

This asteroid is not considered a viable target for human exploration by the NHATS study.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2021 UF1:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.027 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.2753
  • Inclination: 14.9°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 218.59°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 288.18°
  • Mean Anomaly: 208.11°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.033 km
  • Magnitude: 25.06

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 380 days (1.04 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 29.40 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.31 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.74 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2021 UF1 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 UF1 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.