SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2016 SG2

2016 SG2

2016 SG2 belongs to the Apollo group of near-Earth asteroids, whose orbits cross the path of Earth; with a semi-major axis of 2.471 AU it takes 3.88 yr to circle the Sun.

Apollo Observations: 159
Orbital Period · P
3.88 yr
v(q)
75.1 km/s
v(Q)
4.8 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.27 km
TJ
2.7
Eccentricity · e
0.8804

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 0.296 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 4.646 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 4.35 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 2.471 AU gives an orbital period of 3.88 yr, or about 1,419 days.

The high eccentricity (0.88) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

A steep inclination of 24.88° carries it well above and below the ecliptic plane.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 75.1 km/s at perihelion and falls to 4.8 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

The measured diameter is 0.28 km, a value from direct size determination rather than from brightness alone.

A geometric albedo of 0.131 points to a comparatively bright, reflective surface.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 159 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.398 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
2.471 AU
Eccentricity
0.8804
Perihelion
0.296 AU
Aphelion
4.646468 AU
Inclination
24.88°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
191.58°

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
2032-Jan-20 00:26 0.401673 AU
60089362 km
32.61 km/s
2047-Oct-09 19:19 0.488729 AU
73112848 km
47.53 km/s
2051-Sep-10 04:12 0.242121 AU
36220775 km
27.74 km/s
2067-Jan-14 11:36 0.404693 AU
60541203 km
35.22 km/s

Distances in astronomical units (AU) and kilometres. Source: NASA/JPL CNEOS Close Approach Data API.

Physical Parameters

Diameter
0.278 km
Albedo
0.131
Density
— g/cm³
Rotation Period
— h
Absolute Magnitude
20.6

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.39799
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.

Keep exploring

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