36236 (1999 VV)

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
• Comparable in size to Mount Everest
• Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

36236 (1999 VV) is a mid-sized asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 1999 VV 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.

1999 VV orbits the sun every 562 days (1.54 years), coming as close as 0.77 AU and reaching as far as 1.90 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 1999 VV is probably between 1.693 to 3.785 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to Mount Everest.

The rotation of 1999 VV has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 2.74 hours.

No Close Approaches

1999 VV's orbit is 0.23 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.

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

Images and Observations

1999 VV's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 26, 1979. It was last officially observed on Jan. 14, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 1,174 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 1999 VV:

• 8035 (1992 TB)
• 13651 (1997 BR)
• 15817 Lucianotesi (1994 QC)

References

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

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 36236 (1999 VV) 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.

Size Rendering

The above comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 1999 VV to create an approximate landscape rendering with Mount Everest in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.