2005 VL1

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Aten-class Asteroid
• Comparable in size to a school bus or smaller
• Will pass within 6,525,791 km of Earth in 2021
• Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

2005 VL1 is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2005 VL1 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.

2005 VL1 orbits the sun every 307 days (0.84 years), coming as close as 0.69 AU and reaching as far as 1.09 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2005 VL1 is probably between 0.009 to 0.040 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.

Close Approaches

2005 VL1'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.

2005 VL1 has 11 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Images and Observations

2005 VL1's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 4, 2005. It was last officially observed on Dec. 4, 2021. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 79 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

2005 VL1 can be reached with a journey of 330 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 7.151 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 242,594 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.

See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2005 VL1.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of 2005 VL1:

• 85989 (1999 JD6)
• 153415 (2001 QP153)
• 162004 (1991 VE)

References

• JPL Small Body Database
• Mission Design
• Sky Finder Chart

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 2005 VL1 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.