SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2004 NM8

2004 NM8

2004 NM8 is an Amor-type near-Earth asteroid that approaches Earth from beyond our orbit without crossing it, orbiting the Sun at 2.519 AU once every 4.00 yr.

Amor Observations: 58
Orbital Period · P
4.00 yr
v(q)
32.9 km/s
v(Q)
10.7 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.2 km
TJ
3.26
Eccentricity · e
0.508

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 1.239 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 3.799 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 2.56 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 2.519 AU gives an orbital period of 4.00 yr, or about 1,460 days.

The high eccentricity (0.508) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

Its inclination of 4.3° keeps it close to the plane of the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 32.9 km/s at perihelion and falls to 10.7 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 = 21.3 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.2 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 58 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.3735 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
2.519 AU
Eccentricity
0.508
Perihelion
1.239 AU
Aphelion
3.798652 AU
Inclination
4.3°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
185.41°

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
2052-Jul-07 04:22 0.422288 AU
63173434 km
4.05 km/s
2056-Jun-29 06:47 0.328760 AU
49181735 km
4.25 km/s
2060-Jun-26 03:42 0.278725 AU
41696712 km
3.80 km/s
2064-Jun-22 10:49 0.266081 AU
39805167 km
3.41 km/s
2068-Jun-16 17:43 0.329794 AU
49336465 km
3.65 km/s
2072-Jun-07 17:36 0.426775 AU
63844612 km
3.37 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
21.3

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.37346
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

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