2017 VL2

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.

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. 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.

The object has a minimum orbital intersection distance with Earth of 180,000 km (0.0012 AU), which corresponds to 0.5 lunar distances. On 9 November 2017, it came within 0.31 lunar distances of the Earth (see diagrams).

Path of 2017 VL₂ as it passed inside Earth's orbit on 9 November 2017 (left). The object's path in the sky with 1 hour of motion on 9 November 2017 (right).

2017 VL₂ has been estimated to measure between 6 and 32 meters in diameter, 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. The size of asteroid 2017 VL2 has been described as that of a whale.

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.

This minor planet has not yet been numbered by the Minor Planet Center and remains unnamed.

• MPEC 2017-V67 : 2017 VL2 minor planet center
• 2017 VL2 at NeoDyS-2, Near Earth Objects—Dynamic Site
  • Ephemerides · Observation prediction · Orbital info · MOID · Proper elements · Observational info · Close approaches · Physical info · Orbit animation
• 2017 VL2 at ESA–space situational awareness
  • Ephemerides · Observations · Orbit · Physical properties · Summary
• 2017 VL2 at the JPL Small-Body Database
  • Close approach · Discovery · Ephemeris · Orbit viewer · Orbit parameters · Physical parameters