Potentially Hazardous Asteroid
2002 VE68 is included in the Minor Planet Center list of Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs) as it comes to within 0.05 AU of Earth relatively frequently. Approaches as close as 0.04 AU occur with a periodicity of 8 years due to its near 8:13 resonance with Earth. 2002 VE68 was discovered during one of these close approaches (November 11, 2002). During the last close encounter on November 7, 2010, 2002 VE68 approached Earth within 0.035 AU (13.6 Lunar distances), brightening below 15th magnitude. Its next fly-by with Earth will take place on November 4, 2018 at 0.038 AU. Numerical simulations indicate that an actual collision with Earth during the next 10,000 yr is not likely although dangerously close approaches in the vicinity of 0.002 AU are possible.
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