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Asteroid Near-Earth

2021 VR3

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(2021 VR3)

Where is it now

Distance from Sun
0.505 AU
True anomaly
107.47°
Distance from Earth
0.551 AU
As of
15 October 2026

Two-body Kepler propagation — accurate to ~0.1% for major planets over decades, less so for highly-perturbed bodies. Use JPL Horizons for high precision.

Sun Earth — 0.997 AU from the Sun Earth 2021 VR3 — 0.505 AU from the Sun 2021 VR3
Seen from above the ecliptic, north up, to scale. Grid: Earth's orbit in blue. 2021 VR3 is 0.551 AU from Earth today (4.6 light-minutes).

In the sky

Right ascension
13h 43m 51s
Declination
-27° 01′ 27″
Constellation
Hydra
Distance from Earth
0.54 AU
Elongation from the Sun
18.59° — too close to the Sun to observe

Favours the southern hemisphere; low or below the horizon from far north.

From your location

See how high it is right now, whether it is up after civil twilight, and when it rises and sets where you are.

How do I find my coordinates?

Google Maps on a computer

  1. Right-click the spot where you'll be observing.
  2. The first line of the menu is the coordinates, e.g. 51.50722, -0.12758 — click it and they're copied.
  3. Paste them above.

Google Maps on a phone

  1. Press and hold the spot to drop a pin.
  2. The coordinates appear in the search bar (or on the pin's card) — tap to copy, then paste above.

A full Google Maps link works too, but the short maps.app.goo.gl share links don't carry coordinates — copy the numbers instead. We round to about a kilometre; that's all the sky calculation needs.

Know your what3words address? Paste it, e.g. ///filled.count.soap. This is optional — the three words are sent to what3words to convert them, and we don't store the address or the result.

Your location stays in your browser and is sent only for this calculation. Using a what3words address is optional; if you do, the three words go to what3words to be converted and we don't record them. Set a location first, then you can save an email alert for this object. See our privacy policy.

Two-body approximation, good to about a degree for the planets — enough to find the constellation and know whether it is up.

Orbital elements

Semi-major axis
0.534 AU
Eccentricity
0.4138
Inclination
18.07°
Orbital period
142.5 days
Perihelion
0.313 AU
Aphelion
0.755 AU
Longitude of ascending node
129.03°
Argument of periapsis
134.43°
Epoch · J2000
2461200.5
Orbit class · IEO
Atira (interior-Earth object)
Earth MOID · 109.3 LD
0.2808 AU
Tisserand (Jupiter)
10.3

Orbit quality

Orbit reasonably well determined (uncertainty code 3).

Observations used
55
Data arc
4.7 years
First observed
31 January 2019
Last observed
13 October 2023
Residual RMS
0.28 ″
Solution · Otto Matic
9 December 2025

Visual & observation

Absolute magnitude (H)
18.01

Discovery & classification

Atira Near-Earth Object

Close approaches 269 on record

When (UTC) Body Distance Lunar distances Relative speed
2027-07-14 23:56:00 Merc 0.0955 AU 37.2 LD 42.5 km/s
2027-07-14 23:56:00 Mercury 0.0955 AU 37.2 LD 42.5 km/s
2029-10-20 13:01:00 Merc 0.0707 AU 27.5 LD 30.1 km/s
2029-10-20 13:01:00 Mercury 0.0707 AU 27.5 LD 30.1 km/s
2030-08-28 22:52:00 Mercury 0.0058 AU 2.3 LD 31.4 km/s
2030-08-28 22:52:00 Merc 0.0058 AU 2.3 LD 31.4 km/s
2031-04-06 13:49:00 Venus 0.1474 AU 57.4 LD 11.1 km/s
2033-10-11 01:22:00 Mercury 0.0956 AU 37.2 LD 23.2 km/s
2033-10-11 01:22:00 Merc 0.0956 AU 37.2 LD 23.2 km/s
2035-07-30 15:28:00 Venus 0.0866 AU 33.7 LD 13.9 km/s

Next ten from today. 1 lunar distance = 384,400 km. Source: JPL close-approach data.

Sources