SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2012 RQ16

2012 RQ16

2012 RQ16 is an Amor-type near-Earth asteroid that approaches Earth from beyond our orbit without crossing it, orbiting the Sun at 2.352 AU once every 3.61 yr.

Amor Observations: 65
Orbital Period · P
3.61 yr
v(q)
32.8 km/s
v(Q)
11.5 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.24 km
TJ
3.39
Eccentricity · e
0.4815

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 1.219 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 3.484 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 2.265 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 2.352 AU gives an orbital period of 3.61 yr, or about 1,317 days.

The high eccentricity (0.481) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

Its inclination of 4.78° keeps it close to the plane of the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 32.8 km/s at perihelion and falls to 11.5 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 = 20.87 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.24 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 65 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.3845 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 6 indicates a moderately constrained orbit; predictions decades ahead still carry noticeable uncertainty.

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
2.352 AU
Eccentricity
0.4815
Perihelion
1.219 AU
Aphelion
3.484488 AU
Inclination
4.78°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
297.94°

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
2030-Aug-22 00:42 0.223961 AU
33504106 km
3.42 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
20.87

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.38445
Condition
6
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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