525231 (2004 VB)

Very small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 525231 (2004 VB)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to a football field
  • Will pass within 28,649,245 km of Earth in 2019
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

525231 (2004 VB) is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2004 VB as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2004 VB orbits the sun every 643 days (1.76 years), coming as close as 0.86 AU and reaching as far as 2.06 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2004 VB is probably between 0.180 to 0.402 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a football field.

Close Approaches

2004 VB'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 VB has 12 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
April 8, 2019 28,649,245 14.489
Nov. 27, 2041 7,039,065 10.765
April 9, 2056 29,862,229 14.853
Dec. 3, 2078 13,391,496 9.262
March 27, 2086 23,411,885 8.507
Nov. 20, 2108 16,154,968 13.818
Jan. 9, 2116 28,878,283 8.057
April 5, 2123 20,402,584 11.611
Nov. 26, 2145 7,394,328 11.569
April 7, 2160 22,412,260 12.761
Nov. 25, 2182 8,873,827 12.089
April 3, 2197 19,482,785 10.733

Images and Observations

2004 VB's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 1, 2004. It was last officially observed on April 30, 2019. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 455 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 VB:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.459 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.409
  • Inclination: 10.86°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 52.35°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 71.62°
  • Mean Anomaly: 214.21°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.232 km
  • Magnitude: 20.85

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 643 days (1.76 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 24.69 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.06 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.86 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 525231 (2004 VB) 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 2004 VB 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.