SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2008 SA

2008 SA

2008 SA belongs to the Apollo group of near-Earth asteroids, whose orbits cross the path of Earth; with a semi-major axis of 1.326 AU it takes 1.53 yr to circle the Sun.

Apollo Observations: 135
Orbital Period · P
1.53 yr
v(q)
36.5 km/s
v(Q)
18.3 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.04 km
TJ
4.88
Eccentricity · e
0.333

Orbit and dynamics

Between its closest point (0.885 AU) and its farthest (1.768 AU), the heliocentric distance changes by 0.883 AU over every revolution.

One full revolution takes 1.53 yr (558 days), computed from the semi-major axis of 1.326 AU.

An eccentricity of 0.333 makes the orbit moderately elongated.

Its inclination of 2.64° keeps it close to the plane of the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 36.5 km/s at perihelion and falls to 18.3 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 = 25 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.04 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

Astrometry from 135 individual observations underpins this orbit; the fit leaves an RMS residual of 0.4752 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 6 indicates a moderately constrained orbit; predictions decades ahead still carry noticeable uncertainty.

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
1.326 AU
Eccentricity
0.333
Perihelion
0.885 AU
Aphelion
1.767558 AU
Inclination
2.64°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
183.81°

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
2034-Sep-06 21:49 0.075143 AU
11241185 km
13.99 km/s
2044-Feb-10 15:09 0.337198 AU
50444177 km
21.01 km/s
2060-Aug-30 22:42 0.241928 AU
36191877 km
17.52 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
25.0

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.47523
Condition
6
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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