Asteroid 2018 VC7 to flyby Earth at 0.87 LD on November 13
Image credit: 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 half 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.
A newly discovered asteroid designated 2018 VC7 will make a close approach to our planet at a distance of 0.87 LD / 0.00224 AU (335 099 km / 208 221) early November 13, 2018.
2018 VC7 belongs to the Aten group of asteroids. It was first observed at ATLAS-MLO, Mauna Loa on November 10, 3 days before its close approach.
Its estimated diameter is between 8.8 m and 20 m (28.8 and 65 feet).
The asteroid will make its closest approach to Earth at 02:23 UTC on November 13 at a speed (relative to the Earth) of 4.48 km/s.
[ Ephemeris | Orbit Diagram | Orbital Elements | Mission Design | Physical Parameters | Close-Approach Data ]
This is the 61st known asteroid to flyby Earth within 1 lunar distance since the start of the year and the 5th this month.
Reference:
Asteroid 2018 VC7 at Minor Planet Center; at CNEOS
I'm a dedicated researcher, journalist, and editor at The Watchers. With over 20 years of experience in the media industry, I specialize in hard science news, focusing on extreme weather, seismic and volcanic activity, space weather, and astronomy, including near-Earth objects and planetary defense strategies. You can reach me at teo /at/ watchers.news.
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