SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2012 JU4

2012 JU4

2012 JU4 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: 74
Orbital Period · P
2.40 yr
v(q)
29.5 km/s
v(Q)
16.8 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.23 km
TJ
3.98
Eccentricity · e
0.2758

Orbit and dynamics

Between its closest point (1.298 AU) and its farthest (2.286 AU), the heliocentric distance changes by 0.988 AU over every revolution.

One full revolution takes 2.40 yr (876 days), computed from the semi-major axis of 1.792 AU.

An eccentricity of 0.276 makes the orbit moderately elongated.

The orbital plane is tilted 17.06° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 29.5 km/s at perihelion and falls to 16.8 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 = 20.96 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.23 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

Astrometry from 74 individual observations underpins this orbit; the fit leaves an RMS residual of 0.5539 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
0.2758
Perihelion
1.298 AU
Aphelion
2.286234 AU
Inclination
17.06°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
276.52°

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
2036-May-17 21:13 0.449291 AU
67213039 km
8.68 km/s
2048-May-18 04:17 0.446946 AU
66862143 km
8.67 km/s
2060-May-18 09:07 0.446572 AU
66806203 km
8.66 km/s
2072-May-18 08:54 0.446767 AU
66835434 km
8.67 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
20.96

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.55394
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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