2021 VO6

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 2021 VO6

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 12,457,342 km of Earth in 2021
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

2021 VO6 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2021 VO6 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2021 VO6 orbits the sun every 390 days (1.07 years), coming as close as 0.68 AU and reaching as far as 1.41 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2021 VO6 is probably between 0.159 to 0.356 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2021 VO6'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 VO6 has 22 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Nov. 29, 2021 12,457,342 14.842
June 15, 2025 13,248,449 16.185
Dec. 15, 2037 29,160,089 11.996
June 5, 2040 21,135,279 11.722
Nov. 26, 2052 14,636,960 15.815
June 13, 2056 7,751,498 15.264
Dec. 14, 2068 27,930,257 12.066
June 5, 2071 22,305,936 11.611
Nov. 29, 2083 12,913,145 15.300
June 15, 2087 11,804,138 15.943
June 8, 2102 17,214,129 12.166
Dec. 2, 2114 12,132,610 14.547
June 18, 2118 17,198,282 16.838
Nov. 21, 2129 28,770,209 18.707
June 10, 2133 10,727,846 13.016
Dec. 3, 2145 12,718,315 14.145
June 19, 2149 20,263,541 17.348
Nov. 21, 2160 29,242,424 18.815
June 9, 2164 11,825,852 12.859
Dec. 2, 2176 12,308,902 14.305
June 18, 2180 17,728,952 16.917
June 9, 2195 14,625,899 12.509

Images and Observations

2021 VO6's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 8, 2021. It was last officially observed on Dec. 25, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 41 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 VO6:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.045 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.3447
  • Inclination: 19.81°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 77.65°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 80.77°
  • Mean Anomaly: 189.43°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.206 km
  • Magnitude: 21.11

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 390 days (1.07 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 29.15 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.41 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.68 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 2021 VO6 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 VO6 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.