SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2009 RN

2009 RN

2009 RN is an Amor-type near-Earth asteroid that approaches Earth from beyond our orbit without crossing it, orbiting the Sun at 2.829 AU once every 4.76 yr.

Amor Observations: 330
Orbital Period · P
4.76 yr
v(q)
36.5 km/s
v(Q)
8.6 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.36 km
TJ
3
Eccentricity · e
0.6183

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 1.08 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 4.578 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 3.498 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 2.829 AU gives an orbital period of 4.76 yr, or about 1,738 days.

The high eccentricity (0.618) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

Its inclination of 3.41° 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 8.6 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 = 19.98 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.36 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 330 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.3721 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
2.829 AU
Eccentricity
0.6183
Perihelion
1.08 AU
Aphelion
4.578171 AU
Inclination
3.41°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
171.65°

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
2071-Sep-29 00:10 0.287004 AU
42935186 km
14.38 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
19.98

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.37215
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

Explore asteroids, comets and near-Earth objects with JPL orbital data.