SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2012 EL8

2012 EL8

2012 EL8 belongs to the Apollo group of near-Earth asteroids, whose orbits cross the path of Earth; with a semi-major axis of 1.188 AU it takes 1.29 yr to circle the Sun.

Apollo Observations: 22
Orbital Period · P
1.29 yr
v(q)
31.8 km/s
v(Q)
23.5 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.01 km
TJ
5.32
Eccentricity · e
0.1491

Orbit and dynamics

Between its closest point (1.011 AU) and its farthest (1.365 AU), the heliocentric distance changes by 0.354 AU over every revolution.

One full revolution takes 1.29 yr (473 days), computed from the semi-major axis of 1.188 AU.

An eccentricity of 0.149 makes the orbit moderately elongated.

Its inclination of 4.25° keeps it close to the plane of the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 31.8 km/s at perihelion and falls to 23.5 km/s at aphelion.

Size and surface

No direct size measurement is available; from an absolute magnitude of H = 28.3 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.01 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

Astrometry from 22 individual observations underpins this orbit; the fit leaves an RMS residual of 0.5465 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 7 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
1.188 AU
Eccentricity
0.1491
Perihelion
1.011 AU
Aphelion
1.365131 AU
Inclination
4.25°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
3.1°

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
2042-Oct-14 02:13 0.325428 AU
48683278 km
5.98 km/s
2047-Feb-27 13:01 0.040154 AU
6006914 km
3.75 km/s
2051-Sep-01 14:30 0.352741 AU
52769312 km
6.25 km/s
2056-Apr-21 07:16 0.157089 AU
23500168 km
10.09 km/s
2078-Apr-12 14:51 0.110336 AU
16506053 km
6.69 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
28.3

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.5465
Condition
7
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.