Asteroid 2017 VL2 flew past Earth at 0.31 LD, a day before discovery

A newly discovered asteroid designated 2017 VL2 flew past Earth at 0.31 LD / 0.00079 AU (~118 182 km / 73 435 miles) on November 9, 2017, one day before it was discovered. This is the 48^th known asteroid to flyby Earth within 1 lunar distance since the start of the year, and one of the largest.

2017 VL2 belongs to the Apollo group of asteroids. It was first observed at ATLAS-MLO, Mauna Loa at 11:24 UTC on November 10.

Its estimated diameter is between 16 and 32 m (52 – 105 feet) and it flew past Earth at a speed (relative to the Earth) of 8.73 km/s at 09:50 UTC ± < 00:01.

[ Ephemeris | Orbit Diagram | Orbital Elements | Physical Parameters | Close-Approach Data ]

2017 VL2 is the 48^th known asteroid to flyby Earth within 1 lunar distance since the start of the year, and one of the 7 largest.

This object won't come this close to Earth at least until 2125.

Reference

Asteroid 2017 VL2 at Minor Planet Center; CNEOS

Featured image: The green line indicates the object's apparent motion relative to the Earth, and the bright green marks are the object's location at approximately one-hour intervals. The Moon's orbit is grey. The blue arrow points in the direction of Earth's motion and the yellow arrow points toward the Sun. Credit: Minor Planet Center.