2021 VY4

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
• Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
• Will pass within 894,001 km of Earth in 2021
• Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

2021 VY4 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2021 VY4 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 VY4 orbits the sun every 305 days (0.84 years), coming as close as 0.53 AU and reaching as far as 1.25 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2021 VY4 is probably between 0.014 to 0.031 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2021 VY4's orbit is 0.00 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.

2021 VY4 has 6 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

NASA Sentry has assessed impact risk for 44 very close approach scenarios. Here are the top scenarios ordered by probability of impact:

Images and Observations

2021 VY4's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 8, 2021. It was last officially observed on Nov. 11, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 25 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 VY4:

• 85989 (1999 JD6)
• 152742 (1998 XE12)
• 153415 (2001 QP153)

References

• JPL Small Body Database
• Mission Design
• Sky Finder Chart

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2021 VY4 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.