SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2016 VH2

2016 VH2

2016 VH2 is an Amor-type near-Earth asteroid that approaches Earth from beyond our orbit without crossing it, orbiting the Sun at 1.581 AU once every 1.99 yr.

Amor Observations: 56
Orbital Period · P
1.99 yr
v(q)
33.9 km/s
v(Q)
16.6 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.03 km
TJ
4.32
Eccentricity · e
0.3435

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 1.038 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 2.124 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 1.086 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 1.581 AU gives an orbital period of 1.99 yr, or about 726 days.

An eccentricity of 0.344 makes the orbit moderately elongated.

The orbital plane is tilted 7.13° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 33.9 km/s at perihelion and falls to 16.6 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 = 25.13 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.03 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 56 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.5772 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
1.581 AU
Eccentricity
0.3435
Perihelion
1.038 AU
Aphelion
2.124074 AU
Inclination
7.13°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
300.45°

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-09 07:02 0.317383 AU
47479872 km
12.44 km/s
2030-Sep-03 16:41 0.394740 AU
59052257 km
14.87 km/s
2030-Dec-24 20:48 0.451141 AU
67489781 km
4.10 km/s
2032-Aug-28 07:56 0.479484 AU
71729759 km
17.48 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
25.13

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.57719
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

Explore asteroids, comets and near-Earth objects with JPL orbital data.