446862 (2001 VB76)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 446862 (2001 VB76)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building
  • Will pass within 18,567,095 km of Earth in 2031
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

446862 (2001 VB76) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2001 VB76 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2001 VB76 orbits the sun every 643 days (1.76 years), coming as close as 0.95 AU and reaching as far as 1.97 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2001 VB76 is probably between 0.136 to 0.607 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 90% of asteroids but tiny compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the U.S. Capitol building.

Close Approaches

2001 VB76'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.

2001 VB76 has 10 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Dec. 31, 2031 18,567,095 10.281
March 3, 2039 11,792,709 5.441
April 17, 2046 29,596,199 12.150
Jan. 13, 2076 6,469,529 6.723
April 2, 2083 11,416,391 7.311
Dec. 30, 2112 22,698,726 11.133
Feb. 19, 2120 11,599,873 5.406
April 17, 2127 25,253,469 11.220
Jan. 13, 2157 6,766,769 6.962
April 1, 2164 10,548,259 6.834

Images and Observations

2001 VB76's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 11, 2001. It was last officially observed on Oct. 28, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 160 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2001 VB76 can be reached with a journey of 386 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 11.856 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 10 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2001 VB76.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2001 VB76:

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.459 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.3483
  • Inclination: 4.24°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 259.39°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 248.53°
  • Mean Anomaly: 83.66°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.372 km
  • Magnitude: 20.54

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 643 days (1.76 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 24.69 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.97 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.95 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 446862 (2001 VB76) 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 2001 VB76 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.