2021 VH2 is a very small asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2021 VH2 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.
2021 VH2 orbits the sun every 372 days (1.02 years), coming as close as 0.93 AU and reaching as far as 1.09 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2021 VH2 is probably between 0.003 to 0.013 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.
2021 VH2's orbit is 0.00 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is very close to Earth's orbit.
2021 VH2 has 17 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
|---|---|---|
| Nov. 11, 2021 | 1,121,586 | 2.349 |
| Aug. 30, 2022 | 11,125,577 | 1.857 |
| Feb. 8, 2023 | 8,274,071 | 1.773 |
| June 23, 2023 | 10,245,280 | 1.719 |
| April 25, 2024 | 3,564,863 | 2.692 |
| Nov. 14, 2056 | 3,193,595 | 2.629 |
| Sept. 21, 2057 | 9,830,385 | 1.703 |
| Jan. 25, 2058 | 8,279,990 | 1.744 |
| July 18, 2058 | 11,366,376 | 1.886 |
| April 28, 2059 | 1,323,358 | 1.876 |
| Oct. 2, 2063 | 2,329,517 | 1.715 |
| Oct. 1, 2064 | 2,704,941 | 1.661 |
| Aug. 7, 2065 | 8,851,626 | 1.402 |
| Nov. 12, 2065 | 7,434,188 | 1.701 |
| March 13, 2069 | 2,083,990 | 1.951 |
| March 10, 2070 | 6,497,731 | 3.099 |
| March 13, 2071 | 18,196,894 | 5.423 |
2021 VH2's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 27, 2021. It was last officially observed on Aug. 24, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 42 observations used to determine its orbit.
2021 VH2 can be reached with a journey of 362 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 3.674 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 2,432,534 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.
See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2021 VH2.
The position of 2021 VH2 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.