SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2008 GJ

2008 GJ

2008 GJ is an Amor-type near-Earth asteroid that approaches Earth from beyond our orbit without crossing it, orbiting the Sun at 1.964 AU once every 2.75 yr.

Amor Observations: 53
Orbital Period · P
2.75 yr
v(q)
35.4 km/s
v(Q)
12.8 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.28 km
TJ
3.73
Eccentricity · e
0.4705

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 1.04 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 2.888 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 1.848 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 1.964 AU gives an orbital period of 2.75 yr, or about 1,005 days.

The high eccentricity (0.47) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

Its inclination of 4.83° keeps it close to the plane of the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 35.4 km/s at perihelion and falls to 12.8 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 = 20.52 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.28 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 53 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.6201 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
1.964 AU
Eccentricity
0.4705
Perihelion
1.04 AU
Aphelion
2.888062 AU
Inclination
4.83°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
266.93°

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
2029-Nov-02 21:18 0.463347 AU
69315738 km
18.76 km/s
2040-Nov-03 00:13 0.455138 AU
68087671 km
18.57 km/s
2051-Nov-02 16:55 0.473408 AU
70820843 km
19.12 km/s
2062-Nov-02 22:51 0.473317 AU
70807281 km
19.06 km/s
2073-Nov-01 20:13 0.484794 AU
72524076 km
19.47 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
20.52

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.6201
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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