Close Approach Record

Asteroid (2021 VY4)

Closest pass on 2026-Nov-12 23:14 TDB (Julian Date: 2461357.468335791)

Key Facts

  • On 2026-Nov-12 23:14, asteroid (2021 VY4) passed Earth at a nominal distance of 11,200,000 km (29.3 lunar distances).
  • At closest approach, the object was traveling at 12.2 km/s relative to Earth.
  • The object has an estimated size of 18.4 m, which is about one and a half school buses.
  • The miss distance was 0.206 times the Mars closest approach.
  • 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

school bus 12 m Asteroid 2021 VY4 about one and a half school buses ~18 m tennis court 23.8 m
Scale ladder data
Target18 m
Smallerschool bus: 12 m
Largertennis court: 23.8 m

Object size compared to known reference benchmarks.

Miss Distance Orbital Dial

Moon Orbit (1 LD = 384,400 km) 29.3 LD Earth

Concentric orbital rings showing Earth, Moon orbit, and asteroid trajectory.

Astrometric & Orbital Parameters

Designation2021 VY4
Full Object Name(2021 VY4)
Nominal Miss Distance11,200,000 km (29.3 lunar distances / 0.0751738551220572 au)
3-Sigma Minimum Distance10,258,187.683 km (26.686 LD)
Relative Velocity (v_rel)12.2336147861657 km/s (about one and a half ISS orbital speeds)
Velocity at Infinity (v_inf)12.2307171612391 km/s
Time Uncertainty (3-sigma)01:52
Absolute Magnitude (H)26.43 mag
Orbit Solution ID4 (NASA JPL Small-Body Database)
Inside Moon OrbitNo
Inside Geostationary RingNo

Cite this page

Permanent URL: https://whatnearlyhitus.com/approaches/2026-Nov-12/2021-vy4/ | Machine-readable twin: index.json

APA:
What Nearly Hit Us Project. (2026). Asteroid (2021 VY4) Close Approach on 2026-Nov-12 23:14. What Nearly Hit Us. Retrieved from https://whatnearlyhitus.com/approaches/2026-Nov-12/2021-vy4/
MLA:
"Asteroid (2021 VY4) Close Approach on 2026-Nov-12 23:14." What Nearly Hit Us, What Nearly Hit Us Project, 2026-09-24, https://whatnearlyhitus.com/approaches/2026-Nov-12/2021-vy4/.
BibTeX:
@misc{approach_2021VY4_202612,
  title = {Asteroid (2021 VY4) Close Approach on 2026-Nov-12 23:14},
  author = {{What Nearly Hit Us Project}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://whatnearlyhitus.com/approaches/2026-Nov-12/2021-vy4/},
  note = {Primary upstream source: NASA/JPL CNEOS CAD API}
}