2021 YB is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2021 YB 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 YB orbits the sun every 375 days (1.03 years), coming as close as 0.85 AU and reaching as far as 1.19 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2021 YB is probably between 0.006 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 YB's orbit is 0.00 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is very close to Earth's orbit.
2021 YB has 14 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
|---|---|---|
| Dec. 23, 2021 | 554,617 | 5.776 |
| Nov. 18, 2022 | 22,810,968 | 3.927 |
| Feb. 14, 2023 | 21,746,635 | 4.286 |
| April 11, 2024 | 24,502,636 | 4.836 |
| Aug. 24, 2024 | 28,129,635 | 4.256 |
| June 21, 2025 | 10,328,832 | 3.893 |
| July 2, 2026 | 13,847,959 | 7.973 |
| Dec. 19, 2058 | 11,644,047 | 7.692 |
| Dec. 26, 2059 | 13,320,356 | 3.491 |
| Oct. 22, 2060 | 28,634,606 | 4.521 |
| March 17, 2061 | 25,082,051 | 4.938 |
| May 14, 2062 | 19,931,072 | 4.068 |
| July 24, 2062 | 21,615,434 | 3.423 |
| June 28, 2063 | 3,029,532 | 6.003 |
NASA Sentry has assessed impact risk for 3 very close approach scenarios. Here are the top scenarios ordered by probability of impact:
| Date | Probability of Impact (%) | Impact Energy (Mt) |
|---|---|---|
| Dec. 22, 2120 | 0.00010 | 0.03087 |
| Dec. 22, 2099 | 0.00001 | 0.03116 |
| Dec. 23, 2119 | 0.00000 | 0.03081 |
2021 YB's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Dec. 12, 2021. It was last officially observed on Dec. 21, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 27 observations used to determine its orbit.
2021 YB can be reached with a journey of 370 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 5.609 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 488,726 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.
See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2021 YB.
The position of 2021 YB 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.