SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 1996 TC1

1996 TC1

1996 TC1 belongs to the Apollo group of near-Earth asteroids, whose orbits cross the path of Earth; with a semi-major axis of 1.859 AU it takes 2.53 yr to circle the Sun.

Apollo Observations: 14
Orbital Period · P
2.53 yr
v(q)
54 km/s
v(Q)
8.8 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.06 km
TJ
3.6
Eccentricity · e
0.7186

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 0.523 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 3.195 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 2.672 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 1.859 AU gives an orbital period of 2.53 yr, or about 926 days.

The high eccentricity (0.719) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

The orbital plane is tilted 14.5° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 54 km/s at perihelion and falls to 8.8 km/s at aphelion.

Because q < 1 AU and Q > 1 AU, this orbit geometrically intersects the region of Earth's orbit.

Size and surface

No direct size measurement is available; from an absolute magnitude of H = 23.9 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.06 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 14 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.5716 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 9 signals a poorly constrained orbit, so its future path should be treated as provisional.

About these computed values

Orbital periods, perihelion and aphelion speeds, and diameter estimates on this page are computed by SpaceAtlas from the JPL SBDB orbital elements. They are derived quantities, not values copied from the source catalogue.

Orbital Parameters

Semi-Major Axis
1.859 AU
Eccentricity
0.7186
Perihelion
0.523 AU
Aphelion
3.194877 AU
Inclination
14.5°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2450363.5
Mean Anomaly
23.02°

Orbit diagram

The Sun sits at the focus (orange). Earth's orbit is the grey circle at 1 AU. The red dot marks the object's position at the catalog epoch.

3D orbit (interactive)

Drag to rotate; scroll or pinch to zoom. The Sun is at the focus (orange), Earth's orbit is the grey ring at 1 AU, and the red dot marks the object's current position.

Close approaches

No close approaches to Earth are currently on record for this object.

Physical Parameters

Diameter
— km
Albedo
—
Density
— g/cm³
Rotation Period
— h
Absolute Magnitude
23.9

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.57165
Condition
9
Orbit ID
—
Data source: NASA JPL Small-Body Database . Orbital periods, perihelion and aphelion speeds, and diameter estimates on this page are computed by SpaceAtlas from the JPL SBDB orbital elements. They are derived quantities, not values copied from the source catalogue.

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