2019 VL5
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | LINEAR |
| Discovery date | 9 November 2019 |
| Designations | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 13 September 2023 (JD 2460200.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 1456 days (3.99 years) |
| Aphelion | 1.27861 AU (191.277 Gm) |
| Perihelion | 0.720710 AU (107.8167 Gm) |
| 0.999659 AU (149.5469 Gm) | |
| Eccentricity | 0.279044 |
| 0.9995 yr (365.07 d) | |
| 225.41157° | |
| 0.98611°/day | |
| Inclination | 1.69748° |
| 280.72757° | |
| 236.18475° | |
| Earth MOID | 0.00743896 AU (1,112,853 km) |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 30 m | |
| 25.87[1] | |
2019 VL5 is a tiny asteroid, classified as a near-Earth object of the Aten group moving in a 1:1 mean-motion resonance with Earth. Because of that, it is in a co-orbital configuration relative to Earth. 2019 VL5 is currently in a horseshoe orbit: relative to the Sun and Earth, it moves back and forth in a horseshoe shape around Earth's orbit, with Earth in the gap of the horseshoe. According to orbital calculations, the asteroid was an Earth co-orbital for at least 500 years and will stay one for at least another 2,500 years. During this time, it will remain in this horseshoe orbit for at least 800 years, then it will transfer to a quasi-satellite orbit, then back to a horseshoe orbit after a few decades.[2]
China planned to launch an asteroid deflection probe targeting 2019 VL5 in 2025,[3] but later changed the target to 2015 XF261.[4]
References
- ^ a b c "JPL Small-Body Database Lookup: (2019 VL5)". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. 4 November 2023. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
- ^ Yi, Qi; Dong, Qiao (May 2022). "Stability Analysis of Earth Co-orbital Objects". The Astronomical Journal. 163 (5). section 211. Bibcode:2022AJ....163..211Q. doi:10.3847/1538-3881/ac5e2c.
- ^ Jones, Andrew (11 April 2023). "China to target asteroid 2019 VL5 for 2025 planetary defense test". SpaceNews. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
- ^ "China targets its first planetary defense test mission". The Planetary Society.
External links
- 2019 VL5 at NeoDyS-2, Near Earth Objects—Dynamic Site
- 2019 VL5 at ESA–space situational awareness
- 2019 VL5 at the JPL Small-Body Database
