Key Facts
- Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
- Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
- Will pass within 6,619,621 km of Earth in 2019
- Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
- Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
- See orbit simulation
Overview
2022 VR1 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2022 VR1 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.
2022 VR1 orbits the sun every 364 days (1.00 years), coming as close as 0.83 AU and reaching as far as 1.17 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2022 VR1 is probably between 0.019 to 0.085 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.
Close Approaches
2022 VR1's orbit is 0.01 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.
2022 VR1 has 59 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
|---|---|---|
| Nov. 22, 2019 | 6,619,621 | 4.549 |
| Nov. 20, 2020 | 2,280,042 | 5.338 |
| Nov. 20, 2021 | 1,593,218 | 5.584 |
| Nov. 20, 2022 | 1,558,269 | 5.684 |
| Nov. 19, 2023 | 3,106,255 | 6.078 |
| Nov. 16, 2024 | 9,579,317 | 7.288 |
| Nov. 14, 2025 | 17,657,653 | 8.816 |
| Nov. 12, 2026 | 26,413,941 | 10.487 |
| June 16, 2109 | 22,763,434 | 9.565 |
| June 13, 2110 | 14,622,437 | 8.017 |
| June 11, 2111 | 7,645,268 | 6.669 |
| June 7, 2112 | 4,147,684 | 5.634 |
| June 4, 2113 | 6,285,672 | 4.805 |
| May 29, 2114 | 11,467,194 | 4.015 |
| May 11, 2115 | 17,250,292 | 3.920 |
| April 20, 2116 | 21,821,795 | 4.448 |
| July 18, 2116 | 23,715,337 | 3.655 |
| April 3, 2117 | 24,982,813 | 4.908 |
| Aug. 6, 2117 | 26,500,008 | 4.040 |
| March 19, 2118 | 26,913,610 | 5.208 |
| Aug. 22, 2118 | 27,750,930 | 4.254 |
| March 4, 2119 | 27,776,803 | 5.331 |
| Sept. 6, 2119 | 27,728,015 | 4.329 |
| Feb. 18, 2120 | 27,615,964 | 5.268 |
| Sept. 20, 2120 | 26,465,552 | 4.264 |
| Feb. 2, 2121 | 26,377,882 | 5.001 |
| Oct. 7, 2121 | 23,803,199 | 4.050 |
| Jan. 16, 2122 | 23,858,582 | 4.502 |
| Oct. 28, 2122 | 19,450,677 | 3.672 |
| Dec. 24, 2122 | 19,641,299 | 3.749 |
| Nov. 23, 2123 | 12,962,784 | 3.683 |
| Nov. 21, 2124 | 6,574,152 | 4.570 |
| Nov. 20, 2125 | 2,037,357 | 5.397 |
| Nov. 20, 2126 | 1,503,612 | 5.563 |
| Nov. 20, 2127 | 1,758,140 | 5.477 |
| Nov. 21, 2128 | 5,156,046 | 4.830 |
| Nov. 24, 2129 | 10,892,450 | 4.013 |
| Dec. 13, 2130 | 17,382,247 | 3.676 |
| Oct. 15, 2131 | 23,177,226 | 3.822 |
| Jan. 9, 2132 | 22,133,018 | 4.283 |
| Sept. 26, 2132 | 26,651,484 | 4.092 |
| Jan. 26, 2133 | 24,961,442 | 4.715 |
| Sept. 10, 2133 | 28,675,490 | 4.252 |
| Feb. 12, 2134 | 26,348,865 | 4.942 |
| Aug. 27, 2134 | 29,483,240 | 4.306 |
| Feb. 28, 2135 | 26,487,032 | 4.964 |
| Aug. 12, 2135 | 29,123,916 | 4.259 |
| March 16, 2136 | 25,391,435 | 4.781 |
| July 27, 2136 | 27,558,770 | 4.097 |
| April 3, 2137 | 22,957,764 | 4.406 |
| July 10, 2137 | 24,631,602 | 3.800 |
| April 26, 2138 | 18,785,651 | 3.857 |
| May 21, 2139 | 12,665,955 | 3.812 |
| May 25, 2140 | 6,697,259 | 4.594 |
| May 27, 2141 | 2,668,920 | 5.301 |
| May 28, 2142 | 2,158,411 | 5.712 |
| May 30, 2143 | 6,302,973 | 6.577 |
| June 1, 2144 | 13,480,743 | 7.893 |
| June 4, 2145 | 21,703,778 | 9.421 |
Images and Observations
2022 VR1's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 31, 2022. It was last officially observed on Nov. 20, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 58 observations used to determine its orbit.
Accessibility and Exploration
2022 VR1 can be reached with a journey of 378 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 5.435 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 480,272 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.
See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2022 VR1.
Similar Objects
These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2022 VR1:References
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or view a random objectOrbital Elements
- Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
- Semi-major axis: 0.9982 AU
- Eccentricity: 0.1682
- Inclination: 5.78°
- Longitude of Ascending Node: 242.72°
- Argument of Periapsis: 269.26°
- Mean Anomaly: 218.19°
Physical Characteristics
- Diameter: ~0.052 km
- Magnitude: 24.81
Derived Characteristics
- Orbit Period: 364 days (1.00 years)
- Avg. Orbit Speed: 29.83 km/s
- Aphelion Distance: 1.17 AU
- Perihelion Distance: 0.83 AU
Map Comparison
Orbit Simulation
Sky Map
The position of 2022 VR1 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 2022 VR1 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.
