2009 VA

2009 VA is an asteroid that came within 14,000 kilometres (8,700 mi) of Earth on 6 November 2009 making it the third closest non-impacting approach of a cataloged asteroid.^[3]

The trajectory of the object as it passed Earth

2009 VA

Discovery
Discovered by	Catalina Sky Survey
Discovery date	6 November 2009
Designations
Alternative names	none
Minor planet category	Apollo (NEO)
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 6 November 2009 (JD 2455141.5)
Uncertainty parameter 9
Observation arc	3 hours[2]
Aphelion	1.93 AU
Perihelion	0.9177 AU
Semi-major axis	1.43 AU
Eccentricity	0.357
Orbital period (sidereal)	1.71 yr
Mean anomaly	339°
Mean motion	0° 34m 39.396s /day
Inclination	7.5°
Longitude of ascending node	224.5°
Argument of perihelion	224°
Earth MOID	0.00013 AU (19,000 km)
Jupiter MOID	3.3 AU
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter	~6 meters[2]
Absolute magnitude (H)	28.6

With a diameter of only 7 metres (23 ft), scientists think that even if it had been on a direct collision course with Earth, it would have likely burned up in the atmosphere.^[4] The space rock made its pass by Earth just fifteen hours after its discovery.^[5]

The asteroid was first discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey at the University of Arizona. It was determined that the object would make a pass well within the orbit of the Moon, but would not strike Earth. The object passed so close to Earth that its orbit was modified by Earth's gravity.^[5]

2025 virtual impactor

The asteroid only has a very short observation arc of 3 hours and has not been observed since 2009 (16 years ago).^[2] Given the short arc, long term predictions of the asteroids position over many years are poorly constrained. It is listed on the Sentry Risk Table with a 1 in 48,000 chance of an Earth impact on 6 November 2025.^[2]

JPL #7 nominal distance for the 6 November 2025 Virtual Impactor Scenario

JPL Horizons nominal geocentric distance (AU)	uncertainty region (3-sigma)
0.3 AU (45,000,000 km; 120 LD)[6]	± 900 million km[6]

See also

• 2008 TC₃
• 2010 RF12, 2010 RX30, 2010 TD54 - a similar-sized asteroids that passed Earth in 2010
• List of notable asteroids#Record-setting close approaches to Earth for other, closer approaches
• List of asteroid close approaches to Earth in 2009