SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2006 XK2

2006 XK2

2006 XK2 belongs to the Apollo group of near-Earth asteroids, whose orbits cross the path of Earth; with a semi-major axis of 1.54 AU it takes 1.91 yr to circle the Sun.

Apollo Observations: 74
Orbital Period · P
1.91 yr
v(q)
51.9 km/s
v(Q)
11.1 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.26 km
TJ
4.2
Eccentricity · e
0.6477

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 0.543 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 2.537 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 1.994 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 1.54 AU gives an orbital period of 1.91 yr, or about 698 days.

The high eccentricity (0.648) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

The orbital plane is tilted 8.66° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 51.9 km/s at perihelion and falls to 11.1 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 = 20.66 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.26 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 74 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.7778 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
1.54 AU
Eccentricity
0.6477
Perihelion
0.543 AU
Aphelion
2.537458 AU
Inclination
8.66°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
110.43°

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
2027-Nov-26 01:05 0.192185 AU
28750489 km
15.45 km/s
2033-May-11 08:36 0.129918 AU
19435411 km
23.43 km/s
2048-Nov-28 02:50 0.146833 AU
21965911 km
16.83 km/s
2054-May-12 20:41 0.116254 AU
17391368 km
22.82 km/s
2069-Nov-27 18:16 0.160364 AU
23990182 km
16.42 km/s
2075-May-12 00:36 0.130073 AU
19458691 km
23.52 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
20.66

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.77776
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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