220839 (2004 VA)

Mid-sized Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 220839 (2004 VA)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 14,352,435 km of Earth in 2025
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

220839 (2004 VA) is a mid-sized asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2004 VA as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2004 VA orbits the sun every 957 days (2.62 years), coming as close as 0.77 AU and reaching as far as 3.03 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2004 VA is probably between 0.856 to 1.914 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge.

The rotation of 2004 VA has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 6.79 hours.

Close Approaches

2004 VA'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.

2004 VA has 7 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Dec. 30, 2025 14,352,435 12.286
May 3, 2039 9,120,095 15.214
Dec. 24, 2046 6,504,949 13.754
May 10, 2060 19,328,796 18.232
Jan. 10, 2068 21,060,626 11.565
April 11, 2152 24,100,827 11.365
Dec. 12, 2159 24,682,868 19.788

Images and Observations

2004 VA's orbit is determined by observations dating back to July 27, 2003. It was last officially observed on Nov. 19, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 713 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 2004 VA:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.901 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5947
  • Inclination: 3.69°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 109.44°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 43.5°
  • Mean Anomaly: 30.28°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~1.105 km
  • Magnitude: 17.46

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 957 days (2.62 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 21.61 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.03 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.77 AU
  • Rotation Period: 6.79 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 220839 (2004 VA) 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 above comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 2004 VA to create an approximate landscape rendering with Mount Everest in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.