509505 (2007 VL8)

Very small Aten-class Asteroid

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Space Reference » Aten-class Asteroids » 509505 (2007 VL8)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 28,056,893 km of Earth in 2019
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

509505 (2007 VL8) is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2007 VL8 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.

2007 VL8 orbits the sun every 331 days (0.91 years), coming as close as 0.60 AU and reaching as far as 1.27 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2007 VL8 is probably between 0.151 to 0.337 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2007 VL8's orbit is 0.11 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.

2007 VL8 has 21 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Feb. 1, 2019 28,056,893 8.511
Oct. 18, 2026 19,404,574 9.779
Oct. 15, 2045 16,686,236 11.922
Feb. 6, 2048 24,051,835 12.293
Oct. 16, 2064 21,816,127 14.197
Feb. 6, 2067 24,215,264 9.857
Oct. 24, 2074 24,310,024 9.094
Oct. 16, 2093 17,314,186 10.419
Feb. 4, 2096 27,905,899 14.206
Oct. 16, 2112 16,971,293 12.287
Feb. 7, 2115 23,675,203 11.760
Nov. 2, 2122 29,607,382 9.050
Oct. 19, 2131 24,287,733 14.931
Feb. 6, 2134 25,468,941 9.192
Oct. 22, 2141 21,736,557 9.308
Oct. 17, 2160 16,476,112 10.876
Feb. 6, 2163 26,244,167 13.479
Oct. 18, 2179 18,391,436 13.087
Feb. 8, 2182 23,532,244 10.986
Oct. 29, 2189 27,392,267 8.998
Oct. 19, 2198 27,650,443 15.828

Images and Observations

2007 VL8's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 5, 2007. It was last officially observed on Jan. 24, 2019. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 94 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 2007 VL8:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 0.9361 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.3594
  • Inclination: 9.34°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 62.33°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 194.72°
  • Mean Anomaly: 301.8°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.195 km
  • Magnitude: 21.23

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 331 days (0.91 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 30.77 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.27 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.60 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 509505 (2007 VL8) 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 2007 VL8 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.