2021 YK is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2021 YK 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 YK orbits the sun every 573 days (1.57 years), coming as close as 0.92 AU and reaching as far as 1.78 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2021 YK is probably between 0.006 to 0.026 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.
The rotation of 2021 YK has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 0.94 hours.
2021 YK'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 YK has 5 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
|---|---|---|
| Jan. 28, 2019 | 9,921,270 | 5.457 |
| Jan. 2, 2022 | 189,872 | 7.044 |
| Dec. 18, 2032 | 20,853,904 | 11.107 |
| April 13, 2058 | 8,453,378 | 8.499 |
| April 7, 2069 | 2,378,488 | 7.222 |
NASA Sentry has assessed impact risk for 6 very close approach scenarios. Here are the top scenarios ordered by probability of impact:
| Date | Probability of Impact (%) | Impact Energy (Mt) |
|---|---|---|
| Jan. 4, 2099 | 0.00218 | 0.03753 |
| Jan. 5, 2118 | 0.00003 | 0.0375 |
| Jan. 5, 2113 | 0.00002 | 0.03754 |
| April 2, 2122 | 0.00002 | 0.03763 |
| Jan. 5, 2107 | 0.00001 | 0.03749 |
| Jan. 5, 2118 | 0.00000 | 0.0376 |
2021 YK's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Dec. 27, 2021. It was last officially observed on Jan. 2, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 65 observations used to determine its orbit.
2021 YK can be reached with a journey of 338 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 8.553 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 16,135 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.
See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2021 YK.
The position of 2021 YK 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.