SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2016 GW

2016 GW

2016 GW belongs to the Apollo group of near-Earth asteroids, whose orbits cross the path of Earth; with a semi-major axis of 1.732 AU it takes 2.28 yr to circle the Sun.

Apollo Observations: 30
Orbital Period · P
2.28 yr
v(q)
35.8 km/s
v(Q)
14.3 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.04 km
TJ
4
Eccentricity · e
0.4297

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 0.988 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 2.476 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 1.488 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 1.732 AU gives an orbital period of 2.28 yr, or about 833 days.

The high eccentricity (0.43) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

The orbital plane is tilted 17.28° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 35.8 km/s at perihelion and falls to 14.3 km/s at aphelion.

Because q < 1 AU and Q > 1 AU, this orbit geometrically intersects the region of Earth's orbit.

Size and surface

No direct size measurement is available; from an absolute magnitude of H = 24.8 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.04 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 30 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.6643 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 9 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
1.732 AU
Eccentricity
0.4297
Perihelion
0.988 AU
Aphelion
2.47624 AU
Inclination
17.28°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2457482.5
Mean Anomaly
340.19°

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
24.8

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.66432
Condition
9
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.

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