Asteroid (2016 VZ1)
Closest pass on 2026-Nov-05 19:58 TDB (Julian Date: 2461350.331714784)
Key Facts
- On 2026-Nov-05 19:58, asteroid (2016 VZ1) passed Earth at a nominal distance of 7,660,000 km (19.9 lunar distances).
- At closest approach, the object was traveling at 13.5 km/s relative to Earth.
- The object has an estimated size of 21.4 m, which is about one and a half school buses.
- The miss distance was just under 20 times the distance to the Moon.
- Hazard classification: 10 to 25 meters. Produces a powerful high-altitude shockwave capable of shattering windows, damaging roofs, and producing minor local injuries like the 2013 Chelyabinsk event.
Visual Scale Comparison
| Target | 21 m |
|---|---|
| Smaller | school bus: 12 m |
| Larger | tennis court: 23.8 m |
Object size compared to known reference benchmarks.
Miss Distance Orbital Dial
Concentric orbital rings showing Earth, Moon orbit, and asteroid trajectory.
Astrometric & Orbital Parameters
| Designation | 2016 VZ1 |
|---|---|
| Full Object Name | (2016 VZ1) |
| Nominal Miss Distance | 7,660,000 km (19.9 lunar distances / 0.0511845157815688 au) |
| 3-Sigma Minimum Distance | 2,444,789.657 km (6.360 LD) |
| Relative Velocity (v_rel) | 13.4824050171346 km/s (about one and a half ISS orbital speeds) |
| Velocity at Infinity (v_inf) | 13.4785434055578 km/s |
| Time Uncertainty (3-sigma) | 2_12:08 |
| Absolute Magnitude (H) | 26.1 mag |
| Orbit Solution ID | 5 (NASA JPL Small-Body Database) |
| Inside Moon Orbit | No |
| Inside Geostationary Ring | No |
Cite this page
Permanent URL: https://whatnearlyhitus.com/approaches/2026-Nov-05/2016-vz1/ | Machine-readable twin: index.json
APA:
What Nearly Hit Us Project. (2026). Asteroid (2016 VZ1) Close Approach on 2026-Nov-05 19:58. What Nearly Hit Us. Retrieved from https://whatnearlyhitus.com/approaches/2026-Nov-05/2016-vz1/MLA:
"Asteroid (2016 VZ1) Close Approach on 2026-Nov-05 19:58." What Nearly Hit Us, What Nearly Hit Us Project, 2026-09-24, https://whatnearlyhitus.com/approaches/2026-Nov-05/2016-vz1/.BibTeX:
@misc{approach_2016VZ1_202605,
title = {Asteroid (2016 VZ1) Close Approach on 2026-Nov-05 19:58},
author = {{What Nearly Hit Us Project}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://whatnearlyhitus.com/approaches/2026-Nov-05/2016-vz1/},
note = {Primary upstream source: NASA/JPL CNEOS CAD API}
}