235756 (2004 VC)

Mid-sized Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 235756 (2004 VC)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Pentagon (1.14 km diameter)
  • Will pass within 25,041,555 km of Earth in 2027
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

235756 (2004 VC) is a mid-sized asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2004 VC as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2004 VC orbits the sun every 441 days (1.21 years), coming as close as 0.84 AU and reaching as far as 1.43 AU from the sun. 2004 VC is about 1.1 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the U.S. Pentagon.

The rotation of 2004 VC has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 7.18 hours.

Close Approaches

2004 VC's orbit is 0.04 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 VC has 20 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Oct. 2, 2027 25,041,555 20.061
Oct. 7, 2033 6,862,415 21.798
April 1, 2044 25,009,872 23.266
April 7, 2050 12,988,797 20.648
Oct. 2, 2062 24,706,784 20.071
Oct. 7, 2068 8,539,519 21.996
April 3, 2079 19,926,438 22.660
April 8, 2085 18,290,888 20.204
Oct. 4, 2097 14,205,871 20.575
Oct. 12, 2103 19,225,721 23.110
April 6, 2114 12,236,207 21.649
April 10, 2120 27,301,630 19.744
Oct. 6, 2132 7,125,856 21.095
Oct. 13, 2138 25,756,135 23.830
April 7, 2149 11,166,235 21.428
April 11, 2155 28,086,013 19.717
Oct. 6, 2167 9,645,824 20.870
Oct. 12, 2173 20,997,575 23.306
April 5, 2184 15,074,417 22.074
April 10, 2190 20,021,421 20.104

Images and Observations

2004 VC's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 22, 1992. It was last officially observed on Oct. 21, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 368 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 VC:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.133 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.2588
  • Inclination: 39.15°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 194.16°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 94.17°
  • Mean Anomaly: 291.09°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 1.13600 km
  • Magnitude: 18.58
  • Albedo: 0.042

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 441 days (1.21 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 27.95 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.43 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.84 AU
  • Rotation Period: 7.18 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 235756 (2004 VC) 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 VC 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.