SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2017 NM6

2017 NM6

2017 NM6 is an Amor-type near-Earth asteroid that approaches Earth from beyond our orbit without crossing it, orbiting the Sun at 2.36 AU once every 3.63 yr.

Amor Observations: 328
Orbital Period · P
3.63 yr
v(q)
36.9 km/s
v(Q)
10.2 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.61 km
TJ
2.83
Eccentricity · e
0.567

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 1.022 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 3.698 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 2.676 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 2.36 AU gives an orbital period of 3.63 yr, or about 1,324 days.

The high eccentricity (0.567) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

A steep inclination of 55.49° carries it well above and below the ecliptic plane.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 36.9 km/s at perihelion and falls to 10.2 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 = 18.82 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.61 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 328 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.2928 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 1 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
2.36 AU
Eccentricity
0.567
Perihelion
1.022 AU
Aphelion
3.69812 AU
Inclination
55.49°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
169.29°

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
2046-Jul-09 07:15 0.071073 AU
10632311 km
31.38 km/s
2064-Jul-29 05:48 0.379923 AU
56835719 km
33.90 km/s
2075-Jun-24 16:19 0.407500 AU
60961121 km
32.28 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
18.82

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.29283
Condition
1
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.