612522 (2002 VP69)

Small Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth Potentially Hazardous
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 612522 (2002 VP69)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
  • Will pass within 27,856,924 km of Earth in 2046
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

612522 (2002 VP69) is a small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2002 VP69 as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.

2002 VP69 orbits the sun every 1,050 days (2.87 years), coming as close as 0.96 AU and reaching as far as 3.08 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2002 VP69 is probably between 0.601 to 1.343 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than ~97% of asteroids but small compared to large asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge.

Close Approaches

2002 VP69'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.

2002 VP69 has 5 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
March 17, 2046 27,856,924 12.927
Jan. 2, 2069 16,061,876 12.233
Feb. 7, 2089 8,357,956 9.635
Jan. 3, 2155 17,071,947 12.477
Jan. 27, 2175 4,853,610 9.776

Images and Observations

2002 VP69's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 6, 2002. It was last officially observed on May 25, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 414 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 2002 VP69:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.02 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.5267
  • Inclination: 10.12°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 306.83°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 189.05°
  • Mean Anomaly: 65.59°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~0.775 km
  • Magnitude: 18.23

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,050 days (2.87 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 20.93 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.08 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.96 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 612522 (2002 VP69) 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 2002 VP69 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.