2019 VW is a very small asteroid whose orbit could bring it in close proximity to Earth. NASA JPL has classified 2019 VW 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.
2019 VW orbits the sun every 302 days (0.83 years), coming as close as 0.75 AU and reaching as far as 1.01 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 2019 VW is probably between 0.008 to 0.034 kilometers in diameter, making it a small to average asteroid, very roughly comparable in size to a school bus or smaller.
2019 VW's orbit is 0.01 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.
2019 VW has 4 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
|---|---|---|
| Nov. 2, 2019 | 2,157,432 | 3.952 |
| Dec. 21, 2024 | 28,757,986 | 8.963 |
| Oct. 18, 2033 | 29,689,673 | 9.757 |
| Dec. 20, 2057 | 16,081,355 | 5.851 |
2019 VW's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 2, 2019. It was last officially observed on Nov. 19, 2019. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 51 observations used to determine its orbit.
2019 VW can be reached with a journey of 370 days. This trajectory would require a delta-v of 8.076 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 100,123 potential trajectories and launch windows to this asteroid.
See more at the NHATS Mission Trajectories table for 2019 VW.
The position of 2019 VW 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.