Close Approach of Asteroid 2006 VV2
Contributed by Denis Grey, Toronto
Mar 19, 2007, 11:40

A 10th magnitude asteroid which is expected to be the brightest object of its type until 2036 will be visible in telescopes later this month and provide an excellent opportunity to see it zip past the Earth.

The British Astronomical Association reports that asteroid 2006 VV2 passes close to the Earth at the end of March and the early part of April. At its closest, on March 31, it will be 0.0226 AU away (8.8 lunar distances). This will be the closest known approach by an object this intrinsically bright until May 2036, when binary asteroid (66391) 1999 KW4 (H=16.4) approaches within 6 lunar distances. Observers should be able to see it through modest telescopes as it reaches 10th magnitude on March 31st and April 1st.

Between 01:00 and 03:00 UT on March 29 the asteroid passes within 25 arc min of galaxies M82 and M81 and between 19:00 and 21:00 UT on March 31 it approaches within 3 degrees of galaxies M105, M96 and M95.

2006 VV2 will be a very strong radar target and observations are scheduled at Goldstone (March 27, 30, and April 1-3) and Arecibo (March 31 and April 1). VV2's physical properties are unknown, but its absolute magnitude of 16.7 suggests a diameter within a factor of two of about 22 km and there is roughly a 1- in- 6 chance that it is a binary system.