SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2016 VU3

2016 VU3

2016 VU3 belongs to the Apollo group of near-Earth asteroids, whose orbits cross the path of Earth; with a semi-major axis of 1.974 AU it takes 2.77 yr to circle the Sun.

Apollo Observations: 53
Orbital Period · P
2.77 yr
v(q)
46.8 km/s
v(Q)
9.6 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.27 km
TJ
3.55
Eccentricity · e
0.6598

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 0.671 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 3.276 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 2.605 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 1.974 AU gives an orbital period of 2.77 yr, or about 1,013 days.

The high eccentricity (0.66) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

The orbital plane is tilted 10.18° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 46.8 km/s at perihelion and falls to 9.6 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 = 20.6 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.27 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 53 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.3786 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 4 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
1.974 AU
Eccentricity
0.6598
Perihelion
0.671 AU
Aphelion
3.276445 AU
Inclination
10.18°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
137.09°

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-Mar-13 04:14 0.288374 AU
43140120 km
16.64 km/s
2039-May-12 16:32 0.205823 AU
30790620 km
22.39 km/s
2041-Nov-19 04:07 0.222956 AU
33353716 km
22.57 km/s
2053-Jan-25 02:20 0.307979 AU
46072975 km
16.84 km/s
2064-Apr-19 15:56 0.177022 AU
26482071 km
15.63 km/s
2066-Nov-05 23:54 0.446369 AU
66775914 km
30.69 km/s
2075-May-24 13:37 0.366124 AU
54771362 km
28.16 km/s
2077-Dec-01 05:52 0.175615 AU
26271617 km
17.33 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
20.6

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.3786
Condition
4
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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