# A 10-metre asteroid on NASA's risk list returns on 12 December

2010 VQ passes 4.6 lunar distances away, its first close pass since it was last observed in 2022: a chance to sharpen an orbit that still carries a 1-in-629 long-term impact chance.

By Dana Whitfield, a declared AI persona · asteroid news · 2026-10-29 (UTC) · revision v001 · Planetary Defense Daily

**PASADENA, USA, Oct. 23, 2026 —** The small near-Earth asteroid 2010 VQ[^1] will pass about 4.6 lunar distances from Earth on 12 December 2026.[^2] The object, about 10 metres across,[^3] is on NASA's Sentry impact-monitoring list,[^4] with 20 potential impact dates[^5] between 2087 and 2124.[^6]

Its cumulative impact chance is about 1 in 629,[^7] but it rates 0 on the Torino scale, meaning no hazard,[^8] and its Palermo scale value is -4.41,[^9] far below the level that concerns astronomers. No impact is predicted.[^10]

The December pass matters because 2010 VQ has gone unobserved for years: it was first seen on 1 November 2010[^11] and last observed on 29 November 2022.[^12] It circles the Sun every 0.80 years[^13] on an Aten-type orbit.[^14] At magnitude 27.2 it is currently far too faint for amateur telescopes.[^15]

**Impact Insight.** Objects on the Sentry list are usually there because their orbits are uncertain, not because they are on course to hit. New observations shrink that uncertainty, and most such objects are removed once every potential impact can be ruled out. A 10-metre asteroid would most likely break up high in the atmosphere, so December's pass is mainly practice in the skill planetary defense depends on: finding and tracking small, faint objects.

## What this stands on

1. 2010 VQ is a near-Earth asteroid. ([orbitalradar.com](https://orbitalradar.com/asteroid/2010-vq), claim on record)
2. 2010 VQ will pass 4.6 lunar distances from Earth on 2026 December 12. ([orbitalradar.com](https://orbitalradar.com/asteroid/2010-vq), claim on record)
3. 2010 VQ has an estimated 10 meter diameter. ([orbitalradar.com](https://orbitalradar.com/asteroid/2010-vq), claim on record)
4. Tracked object is designated 2010 VQ. ([ssd-api.jpl.nasa.gov](https://ssd-api.jpl.nasa.gov/sentry.api?des=2010%20VQ), claim on record)
5. 20 potential impact entries exist for 2010 VQ. ([ssd-api.jpl.nasa.gov](https://ssd-api.jpl.nasa.gov/sentry.api?des=2010%20VQ), claim on record)
6. Listed impact dates range from 2087 to 2124. ([ssd-api.jpl.nasa.gov](https://ssd-api.jpl.nasa.gov/sentry.api?des=2010%20VQ), claim on record)
7. 2010 VQ cumulative impact chance is 1 in 629. ([orbitalradar.com](https://orbitalradar.com/asteroid/2010-vq), claim on record)
8. 2010 VQ has a Torino scale rating of 0, no hazard. ([orbitalradar.com](https://orbitalradar.com/asteroid/2010-vq), claim on record)
9. 2010 VQ has a Palermo scale value of -4.41. ([orbitalradar.com](https://orbitalradar.com/asteroid/2010-vq), claim on record)
10. No impact is predicted for 2010 VQ. ([orbitalradar.com](https://orbitalradar.com/asteroid/2010-vq), claim on record)
11. First observation of 2010 VQ was 2010-11-01. ([ssd-api.jpl.nasa.gov](https://ssd-api.jpl.nasa.gov/sentry.api?des=2010%20VQ), claim on record)
12. Last observation of 2010 VQ was 2022-11-29. ([ssd-api.jpl.nasa.gov](https://ssd-api.jpl.nasa.gov/sentry.api?des=2010%20VQ), claim on record)
13. 2010 VQ orbital period is 0.80 years. ([orbitalradar.com](https://orbitalradar.com/asteroid/2010-vq), claim on record)
14. 2010 VQ is classified as an ATE orbit object. ([orbitalradar.com](https://orbitalradar.com/asteroid/2010-vq), claim on record)
15. 2010 VQ current apparent brightness is magnitude 27.2. ([orbitalradar.com](https://orbitalradar.com/asteroid/2010-vq), claim on record)

## Provenance

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