Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Jupiter Trojan
  • Comparable in size to the city of Baltimore (15.31 km diameter)
  • Not a Near Earth Object
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

111113 (2001 VK85) is a large asteroid that shares Jupiter's orbit around the sun. NASA JPL has not classified 2001 VK85 as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

2001 VK85 orbits the sun every 4,430 days (12.13 years), coming as close as 5.00 AU and reaching as far as 5.56 AU from the sun. 2001 VK85 is about 15.3 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Baltimore.

The rotation of 2001 VK85 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 41.63 hours.

No Close Approaches

2001 VK85's orbit is 4.00 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is an extremely wide berth between this asteroid and Earth at all times.

Orbital simulations conducted by NASA JPL's CNEOS do not show any close approaches to Earth.

Images and Observations

2001 VK85's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 4, 2000. It was last officially observed on Oct. 19, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 583 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 2001 VK85:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 5.28 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0531
  • Inclination: 7.65°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 293.51°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 49.27°
  • Mean Anomaly: 14.4°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 15.30800 km
  • Magnitude: 12.79
  • Albedo: 0.075

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 4,430 days (12.13 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 12.97 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 5.56 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 5.00 AU
  • Rotation Period: 41.63 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 111113 (2001 VK85) 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.