SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2001 DT8

2001 DT8

2001 DT8 is an Amor-type near-Earth asteroid that approaches Earth from beyond our orbit without crossing it, orbiting the Sun at 2.268 AU once every 3.42 yr.

Amor Observations: 84
Orbital Period · P
3.42 yr
v(q)
32.8 km/s
v(Q)
11.9 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.5 km
TJ
3.07
Eccentricity · e
0.468

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 1.207 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 3.329 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 2.122 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 2.268 AU gives an orbital period of 3.42 yr, or about 1,248 days.

The high eccentricity (0.468) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

A steep inclination of 48.57° carries it well above and below the ecliptic plane.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 32.8 km/s at perihelion and falls to 11.9 km/s at aphelion.

Its perihelion lies just outside Earth's orbit, which is why it is classed as Earth-approaching rather than Earth-crossing.

Size and surface

No direct size measurement is available; from an absolute magnitude of H = 19.26 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.5 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 84 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.4776 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 0 means the orbit is very well determined, leaving only a small uncertainty in the future ephemeris.

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
2.268 AU
Eccentricity
0.468
Perihelion
1.207 AU
Aphelion
3.329424 AU
Inclination
48.57°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
146.04°

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
19.26

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.47756
Condition
0
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.

Keep exploring

Explore asteroids, comets and near-Earth objects with JPL orbital data.