SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2016 QZ1

2016 QZ1

2016 QZ1 belongs to the Apollo group of near-Earth asteroids, whose orbits cross the path of Earth; with a semi-major axis of 1.278 AU it takes 1.44 yr to circle the Sun.

Apollo Observations: 128
Orbital Period · P
1.44 yr
v(q)
43.3 km/s
v(Q)
16 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.1 km
TJ
4.94
Eccentricity · e
0.4604

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 0.69 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 1.866 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 1.176 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 1.278 AU gives an orbital period of 1.44 yr, or about 528 days.

The high eccentricity (0.46) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

The orbital plane is tilted 8.09° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 43.3 km/s at perihelion and falls to 16 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 = 22.8 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.1 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 128 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.4727 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 6 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
1.278 AU
Eccentricity
0.4604
Perihelion
0.69 AU
Aphelion
1.866391 AU
Inclination
8.09°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
233.1°

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
2026-Dec-26 22:01 0.274002 AU
40990061 km
12.50 km/s
2029-Sep-02 19:50 0.054375 AU
8134389 km
13.01 km/s
2037-Mar-15 10:28 0.215887 AU
32296218 km
23.58 km/s
2042-Sep-05 03:10 0.054579 AU
8164852 km
12.00 km/s
2050-Mar-17 04:38 0.170816 AU
25553745 km
24.43 km/s
2063-Mar-21 11:14 0.364478 AU
54525078 km
26.86 km/s
2068-Sep-20 15:23 0.198565 AU
29704829 km
8.21 km/s
2071-Aug-11 02:19 0.439336 AU
65723731 km
27.10 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
22.8

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.47267
Condition
6
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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