SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2010 VQ21

2010 VQ21

2010 VQ21 is an Amor-type near-Earth asteroid that approaches Earth from beyond our orbit without crossing it, orbiting the Sun at 1.792 AU once every 2.40 yr.

Amor Observations: 253
Orbital Period · P
2.40 yr
v(q)
33.1 km/s
v(Q)
15 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.14 km
TJ
3.98
Eccentricity · e
0.3769

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 1.117 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 2.467 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 1.35 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 1.792 AU gives an orbital period of 2.40 yr, or about 876 days.

An eccentricity of 0.377 makes the orbit moderately elongated.

The orbital plane is tilted 6.92° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 33.1 km/s at perihelion and falls to 15 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 = 21.99 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.14 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 253 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.4335 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
1.792 AU
Eccentricity
0.3769
Perihelion
1.117 AU
Aphelion
2.467405 AU
Inclination
6.92°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
172.93°

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
2034-Nov-06 18:47 0.142862 AU
21371777 km
4.59 km/s
2046-Nov-06 20:48 0.144243 AU
21578419 km
4.59 km/s
2058-Nov-07 07:29 0.155028 AU
23191916 km
4.60 km/s
2070-Nov-07 10:09 0.188607 AU
28215243 km
4.85 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
21.99

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.43351
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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