SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2006 WN3

2006 WN3

2006 WN3 belongs to the Apollo group of near-Earth asteroids, whose orbits cross the path of Earth; with a semi-major axis of 1.804 AU it takes 2.42 yr to circle the Sun.

Apollo Observations: 173
Orbital Period · P
2.42 yr
v(q)
38.6 km/s
v(Q)
12.8 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.38 km
TJ
3.8
Eccentricity · e
0.5028

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 0.897 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 2.711 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 1.814 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 1.804 AU gives an orbital period of 2.42 yr, or about 885 days.

The high eccentricity (0.503) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

A steep inclination of 26.03° carries it well above and below the ecliptic plane.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 38.6 km/s at perihelion and falls to 12.8 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 = 19.84 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.38 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 173 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.6842 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
1.804 AU
Eccentricity
0.5028
Perihelion
0.897 AU
Aphelion
2.711051 AU
Inclination
26.03°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
320.21°

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
2041-May-18 16:59 0.087044 AU
13021630 km
17.02 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
19.84

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.6842
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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