428209 (2006 VC)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 428209 (2006 VC)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 4,026,033 km of Earth in 2052
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

428209 (2006 VC) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2006 VC as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2006 VC orbits the sun every 988 days (2.70 years), coming as close as 0.99 AU and reaching as far as 2.90 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2006 VC is probably between 0.252 to 0.562 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

The rotation of 2006 VC has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 7.80 hours.

Close Approaches

2006 VC'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.

2006 VC has 5 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Dec. 18, 2052 4,026,033 10.037
Dec. 13, 2079 9,929,947 10.930
Jan. 17, 2115 19,244,993 9.660
Dec. 17, 2141 6,961,116 10.461
Dec. 11, 2176 14,614,628 11.560

Images and Observations

2006 VC's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 1, 2006. It was last officially observed on April 17, 2015. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 187 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 2006 VC:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.942 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4918
  • Inclination: 12.25°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 87.53°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 19.22°
  • Mean Anomaly: 61.62°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.325 km
  • Magnitude: 20.12

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 988 days (2.70 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 21.38 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.90 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.99 AU
  • Rotation Period: 7.80 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 428209 (2006 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 below comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 2006 VC 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.