2021 VW3 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2021 VW3 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.
2021 VW3 orbits the sun every 1,040 days (2.85 years), coming as close as 0.80 AU and reaching as far as 3.21 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2021 VW3 is probably between 0.113 to 0.252 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a basketball court.
2021 VW3's orbit is 0.02 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 VW3 has 3 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
---|---|---|
Nov. 7, 2021 | 13,376,507 | 17.092 |
June 12, 2024 | 26,093,049 | 20.040 |
June 22, 2041 | 6,099,698 | 15.971 |
2021 VW3's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 7, 2021. It was last officially observed on Dec. 23, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 120 observations used to determine its orbit.
The position of 2021 VW3 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.
The below comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 2021 VW3 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.