SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2007 VD138

2007 VD138

2007 VD138 is an Amor-type near-Earth asteroid that approaches Earth from beyond our orbit without crossing it, orbiting the Sun at 2.803 AU once every 4.69 yr.

Amor Observations: 103
Orbital Period · P
4.69 yr
v(q)
37.7 km/s
v(Q)
8.4 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.04 km
TJ
2.99
Eccentricity · e
0.6354

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 1.022 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 4.584 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 3.562 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 2.803 AU gives an orbital period of 4.69 yr, or about 1,714 days.

The high eccentricity (0.635) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

Its inclination of 1.66° keeps it close to the plane of the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 37.7 km/s at perihelion and falls to 8.4 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 = 24.54 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.04 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 103 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.501 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
2.803 AU
Eccentricity
0.6354
Perihelion
1.022 AU
Aphelion
4.584026 AU
Inclination
1.66°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
349.07°

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
2036-Jan-03 22:42 0.293470 AU
43902484 km
16.97 km/s
2054-Oct-20 06:51 0.181793 AU
27195907 km
11.53 km/s
2073-Dec-17 03:14 0.275435 AU
41204552 km
12.29 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
24.54

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.50104
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.

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