2020 VA4 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2020 VA4 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.
2020 VA4 orbits the sun every 357 days (0.98 years), coming as close as 0.84 AU and reaching as far as 1.13 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2020 VA4 is probably between 0.006 to 0.025 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.
2020 VA4's orbit is 0.00 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that its orbit is relatively close to Earth's orbit.
2020 VA4 has 26 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
|---|---|---|
| Nov. 2, 2019 | 13,932,064 | 7.558 |
| Oct. 29, 2020 | 2,468,158 | 4.296 |
| Sept. 6, 2021 | 20,309,526 | 3.956 |
| Dec. 13, 2021 | 18,188,062 | 3.808 |
| July 28, 2022 | 25,490,156 | 5.274 |
| Jan. 20, 2023 | 21,094,587 | 4.279 |
| June 22, 2023 | 24,592,074 | 5.025 |
| March 3, 2024 | 14,819,821 | 3.298 |
| May 2, 2024 | 16,373,942 | 2.848 |
| March 30, 2025 | 4,443,919 | 5.636 |
| March 25, 2026 | 28,793,727 | 10.525 |
| Nov. 1, 2057 | 8,666,705 | 6.497 |
| Nov. 21, 2058 | 13,313,821 | 3.133 |
| Aug. 11, 2059 | 24,657,942 | 5.042 |
| Jan. 10, 2060 | 20,882,193 | 4.258 |
| July 2, 2060 | 25,606,501 | 5.269 |
| Feb. 21, 2061 | 16,959,510 | 3.649 |
| May 17, 2061 | 19,068,804 | 3.558 |
| March 31, 2062 | 2,297,152 | 5.238 |
| Nov. 10, 2087 | 28,406,109 | 10.486 |
| Nov. 3, 2088 | 2,249,848 | 4.318 |
| Aug. 14, 2089 | 25,453,462 | 5.118 |
| Jan. 15, 2090 | 19,575,573 | 4.159 |
| June 17, 2090 | 25,490,746 | 5.099 |
| March 28, 2091 | 2,238,781 | 4.309 |
| March 22, 2092 | 27,885,315 | 10.348 |
NASA Sentry has assessed impact risk for 1 very close approach scenarios. Here are the top scenarios ordered by probability of impact:
| Date | Probability of Impact (%) | Impact Energy (Mt) |
|---|---|---|
| April 3, 2109 | 0.00001 | 0.03276 |
2020 VA4's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 12, 2020. It was last officially observed on Jan. 20, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 64 observations used to determine its orbit.
2020 VA4 can be reached with a journey of 370 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 4.582 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 1,296,849 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.
See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2020 VA4.
The position of 2020 VA4 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.