SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2015 QT8

2015 QT8

2015 QT8 is an Amor-type near-Earth asteroid that approaches Earth from beyond our orbit without crossing it, orbiting the Sun at 1.516 AU once every 1.87 yr.

Amor Observations: 42
Orbital Period · P
1.87 yr
v(q)
32.3 km/s
v(Q)
18.1 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.06 km
TJ
4.44
Eccentricity · e
0.2808

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 1.091 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 1.942 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 0.851 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 1.516 AU gives an orbital period of 1.87 yr, or about 682 days.

An eccentricity of 0.281 makes the orbit moderately elongated.

The orbital plane is tilted 12.83° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 32.3 km/s at perihelion and falls to 18.1 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 = 23.72 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.06 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 42 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.5463 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
1.516 AU
Eccentricity
0.2808
Perihelion
1.091 AU
Aphelion
1.941693 AU
Inclination
12.83°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
286.46°

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
2028-Sep-08 23:16 0.329870 AU
49347872 km
15.01 km/s
2030-Jul-29 14:10 0.318631 AU
47666468 km
13.35 km/s
2043-Aug-24 00:20 0.065578 AU
9810375 km
7.73 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
23.72

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.54634
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.

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