SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2009 WH106

2009 WH106

2009 WH106 belongs to the Apollo group of near-Earth asteroids, whose orbits cross the path of Earth; with a semi-major axis of 2.487 AU it takes 3.92 yr to circle the Sun.

Apollo Observations: 73
Orbital Period · P
3.92 yr
v(q)
39 km/s
v(Q)
9.1 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.11 km
TJ
3.18
Eccentricity · e
0.6204

Orbit and dynamics

Between its closest point (0.944 AU) and its farthest (4.03 AU), the heliocentric distance changes by 3.086 AU over every revolution.

One full revolution takes 3.92 yr (1,433 days), computed from the semi-major axis of 2.487 AU.

The high eccentricity (0.62) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

Its inclination of 2.91° keeps it close to the plane of the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 39 km/s at perihelion and falls to 9.1 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 = 22.6 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.11 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

Astrometry from 73 individual observations underpins this orbit; the fit leaves an RMS residual of 0.6492 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
2.487 AU
Eccentricity
0.6204
Perihelion
0.944 AU
Aphelion
4.029935 AU
Inclination
2.91°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
84.53°

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
2056-Dec-06 17:22 0.283944 AU
42477414 km
19.59 km/s
2060-Sep-21 10:55 0.069782 AU
10439210 km
9.51 km/s
2064-Jul-29 00:11 0.431131 AU
64496295 km
23.87 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
22.6

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.64915
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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