SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2017 AE3

2017 AE3

2017 AE3 belongs to the Apollo group of near-Earth asteroids, whose orbits cross the path of Earth; with a semi-major axis of 1.845 AU it takes 2.51 yr to circle the Sun.

Apollo Observations: 183
Orbital Period · P
2.51 yr
v(q)
46.8 km/s
v(Q)
10.3 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.15 km
TJ
3.72
Eccentricity · e
0.6399

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 0.664 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 3.026 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 2.362 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 1.845 AU gives an orbital period of 2.51 yr, or about 915 days.

The high eccentricity (0.64) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

The orbital plane is tilted 9.5° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 46.8 km/s at perihelion and falls to 10.3 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 = 21.9 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.15 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 183 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.336 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
1.845 AU
Eccentricity
0.6399
Perihelion
0.664 AU
Aphelion
3.025615 AU
Inclination
9.5°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
295.46°

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
2027-Jan-04 11:56 0.119674 AU
17902952 km
22.23 km/s
2032-Jan-09 04:10 0.202036 AU
30224212 km
24.69 km/s
2037-Jan-12 23:30 0.290299 AU
43428118 km
27.34 km/s
2042-Jan-18 04:26 0.387120 AU
57912271 km
30.28 km/s
2047-Jan-22 16:20 0.473663 AU
70859008 km
32.92 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
21.9

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.33598
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.