SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2003 UQ3

2003 UQ3

2003 UQ3 is an Amor-type near-Earth asteroid that approaches Earth from beyond our orbit without crossing it, orbiting the Sun at 2.631 AU once every 4.27 yr.

Amor Observations: 138
Orbital Period · P
4.27 yr
v(q)
32.6 km/s
v(Q)
10.3 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.43 km
TJ
3.16
Eccentricity · e
0.5191

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 1.265 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 3.997 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 2.732 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 2.631 AU gives an orbital period of 4.27 yr, or about 1,559 days.

The high eccentricity (0.519) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

The orbital plane is tilted 12.77° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 32.6 km/s at perihelion and falls to 10.3 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 = 19.6 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.43 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 138 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.6883 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
2.631 AU
Eccentricity
0.5191
Perihelion
1.265 AU
Aphelion
3.996752 AU
Inclination
12.77°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
105.16°

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

Predicted close approaches to Earth, from NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS).

Date (UTC)Miss distanceVelocity
2050-Nov-01 08:47 0.304903 AU
45612836 km
7.56 km/s
2067-Oct-28 22:27 0.299884 AU
44862031 km
7.70 km/s

Distances in astronomical units (AU) and kilometres. Source: NASA/JPL CNEOS Close Approach Data API.

Physical Parameters

Diameter
— km
Albedo
—
Density
— g/cm³
Rotation Period
— h
Absolute Magnitude
19.6

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.68834
Condition
0
Orbit ID
—
Data source: NASA JPL Small-Body Database · NASA CNEOS. 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.