SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2012 CA

2012 CA

2012 CA is an Amor-type near-Earth asteroid that approaches Earth from beyond our orbit without crossing it, orbiting the Sun at 1.245 AU once every 1.39 yr.

Amor Observations: 28
Orbital Period · P
1.39 yr
v(q)
31.4 km/s
v(Q)
22.7 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.07 km
TJ
4.96
Eccentricity · e
0.1625

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 1.043 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 1.447 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 0.404 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 1.245 AU gives an orbital period of 1.39 yr, or about 507 days.

An eccentricity of 0.163 makes the orbit moderately elongated.

A steep inclination of 35.89° carries it well above and below the ecliptic plane.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 31.4 km/s at perihelion and falls to 22.7 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 = 23.5 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.07 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 28 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.4321 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 8 signals a poorly constrained orbit, so its future path should be treated as provisional.

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
1.245 AU
Eccentricity
0.1625
Perihelion
1.043 AU
Aphelion
1.447313 AU
Inclination
35.89°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2455961.5
Mean Anomaly
30.43°

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

No close approaches to Earth are currently on record for this object.

Physical Parameters

Diameter
— km
Albedo
—
Density
— g/cm³
Rotation Period
— h
Absolute Magnitude
23.5

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.43206
Condition
8
Orbit ID
—
Data source: NASA JPL Small-Body Database . 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.