 The orbit of 2017 VL2 and positions on 1 January 2018 | |
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | ATLAS |
| Discovery site | Mauna Loa Obs. |
| Discovery date | 10 November 2017 |
| Designations | |
| 2017 VL2 | |
| NEO · Apollo[1][2] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 7 | |
| Observation arc | (16 days) |
| Aphelion | 1.5139 AU |
| Perihelion | 0.9466 AU |
| 1.2303 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.2306 |
| 1.36 yr (498 days) | |
| 337.43° | |
| 0° 43m 20.28s / day | |
| Inclination | 12.091° |
| 227.05° | |
| 139.41° | |
| Earth MOID | 0.0012 AU (0.5 LD) |
| Physical characteristics | |
Mean diameter | 18 m (est. at 0.20)[3] 6–32 m (estimate)[4] |
| 26.079[1] | |
2017 VL2 is a micro-asteroid, classified as a near-Earth object of the Apollo group. It was first observed by ATLAS at Mauna Loa Observatory on 10 November 2017, a day after it passed inside the orbit of Earth.[2][5]
2017 VL2 is an Apollo asteroid, the largest subgroup of near-Earth objects. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 0.9–1.5 AU once every 16 months (498 days; semi-major axis of 1.23 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.23 and an inclination of 12° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] It is, however, not a Mars-crossing asteroid, as its aphelion of 1.51 AU is less than the orbit of the Red Planet at 1.666 AU.[1]
The object has a minimum orbital intersection distance with Earth of 180,000 km (0.0012 AU), which corresponds to 0.5 lunar distances.[1] On 9 November 2017, it came within 0.31 lunar distances of the Earth (see diagrams).[5]
2017 VL2 has been estimated to measure between 6 and 32 meters in diameter,[4] comparable to the Chelyabinsk meteor, which was also not observed before it hit the atmosphere over Russia in 2013. For an assumed albedo of 0.20, which is typical for the common S-type asteroids, 2017 VL2's diameter would be likely 18 meters only.[3] The size of asteroid 2017 VL2 has been described as that of a whale.[6][7]
As of 2018, no rotational lightcurve of this asteroid has been obtained from photometric observations. The object's rotation period, pole and shape remain unknown.[1][8]
This minor planet has not yet been numbered by the Minor Planet Center and remains unnamed.[2]
