(144898) 2004 VD17

(144898) 2004 VD₁₇ (provisional designation 2004 VD₁₇) is a sub-kilometer asteroid, classified as near-Earth object of the Apollo group once thought to have a low probability of impacting Earth on 4 May 2102.^[3] It reached a Torino Scale rating of 2 and a Palermo scale rating of −0.25 (an impact hazard of about 56% of the background level).^[3] With an observation arc of 17 years it is known that closest Earth approach will occur two days earlier on 2 May 2102 at a distance of about 5.5 million km.^[1]

Close approaches^[1]

Date	JPL SBDB nominal geocentric distance	uncertainty region (3-sigma)
2032-05-01	3140133 km	± 127 km[4]
2102-05-02	5568961 km	± 50 thousand km
2196-05-05	996859 km	± 354 thousand km

(144898) 2004 VD₁₇

Discovery
Discovered by	LINEAR
Discovery date	7 November 2004
Designations
Minor planet category	NEO Apollo Earth-crosser Venus-crosser Mars-crosser
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 2022-Jan-21 (JD 2459600.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc	17.8 years
Aphelion	2.3958 AU (358.41 million km)
Perihelion	0.62008 AU (92.763 million km)
Semi-major axis	1.5079 AU (225.58 million km)
Eccentricity	0.58878
Orbital period (sidereal)	1.85 yr (676.34 d)
Mean anomaly	133.93°
Mean motion	0° 31m 56.428s / day
Inclination	4.2239°
Longitude of ascending node	224°
Argument of perihelion	90.97°
Earth MOID	0.0015 AU (220,000 km)
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter	320m[2] 580m (assumed)[3] 0.5–1.0 km (CNEOS)
Mass	(0.13–1.8)×1012 kg
Synodic rotation period	1.99 h (0.083 d)
Spectral type	E[2]
Absolute magnitude (H)	18.8

History

2004 VD₁₇ was discovered on 7 November 2004, by the NASA-funded LINEAR asteroid survey. The object is estimated by NASA's Near Earth Object Program Office to be 580 meters in diameter with an approximate mass of 2.6×10¹¹ kg.^[5]

Being approximately 580 meters in diameter, if 2004 VD₁₇ were to impact land, it would create an impact crater about 10 kilometres wide and generate an earthquake of magnitude 7.4.^[6]

Elevated risk estimate in 2006

From February to May 2006, 2004 VD₁₇ was listed with a Torino Scale impact risk value of 2, only the second asteroid in risk-monitoring history to be rated above value 1.^[7] With an observation arc of 1511 days, it was estimated to have a 1 in 1320 chance of impacting on 4 May 2102.^[3] The Torino rating was lowered to 1 after additional observations on 20 May 2006, and finally dropped to 0 on 17 October 2006.

2008 observations

As of 4 January 2008, the Sentry Risk Table assigned 2004 VD₁₇ a Torino value of 0 and an impact probability of 1 in 58.8 million for 4 May 2102.^[5] This value was far below the background impact rate of objects this size. Further observations allowed it to be removed from the Sentry Risk Table on 14 February 2008.^[8]

It will pass 0.021 AU (3,100,000 km; 2,000,000 mi) from the Earth on 1 May 2032, allowing a refinement to the orbit.^[1]

Properties

It has a spectral type of E.^[2] This suggests that the asteroid has a high albedo and is on the smaller size range for an object with an absolute magnitude of 18.8.

See also

• 3103 Eger, possible parent of the Aubrite asteroids
• 99942 Apophis
• Asteroid impact avoidance
• Aubrite asteroid family
• E-type asteroid
• Hungaria family of asteroids
• List of exceptional asteroids