6611 (1993 VW)

Mid-sized Apollo-class Asteroid

Near-Earth
Space Reference » Apollo-class Asteroids » 6611 (1993 VW)

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. Pentagon (1.41 km diameter)
  • Will pass within 18,138,995 km of Earth in 2036
  • Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

6611 (1993 VW) is a mid-sized asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified 1993 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.

1993 VW orbits the sun every 807 days (2.21 years), coming as close as 0.87 AU and reaching as far as 2.52 AU from the sun. 1993 VW is about 1.4 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the U.S. Pentagon.

The rotation of 1993 VW has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 2.56 hours.

1993 VW's spectral type None (Tholen) / V (SMASSII) indicates that it is likely to contain and .

Close Approaches

1993 VW's orbit is 0.06 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.

1993 VW has 10 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Date Distance from Earth (km) Velocity (km/s)
Jan. 2, 2036 18,138,995 10.085
March 21, 2047 23,009,559 8.554
April 27, 2058 15,752,563 14.095
Jan. 22, 2089 24,375,774 8.316
April 14, 2100 12,118,867 10.043
Dec. 24, 2130 22,082,631 13.865
Feb. 7, 2142 26,277,121 8.543
April 16, 2153 10,759,015 10.320
May 3, 2164 26,112,652 16.331
Jan. 8, 2195 20,035,555 9.475

Images and Observations

1993 VW's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 15, 1982. It was last officially observed on Aug. 5, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 1,264 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 1993 VW:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.696 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.4847
  • Inclination: 8.7°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 230.77°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 281.62°
  • Mean Anomaly: 136.5°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 1.40800 km
  • Magnitude: 16.9
  • Albedo: 0.158
  • Spectral type (SMASS): V

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 807 days (2.21 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 22.86 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.52 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 0.87 AU
  • Rotation Period: 2.56 hours
  • Approx. Composition: and .

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 6611 (1993 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.

Size Rendering

The above comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 1993 VW 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.