SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2017 SL12

2017 SL12

2017 SL12 is an Amor-type near-Earth asteroid that approaches Earth from beyond our orbit without crossing it, orbiting the Sun at 2.735 AU once every 4.52 yr.

Amor Observations: 150
Orbital Period · P
4.52 yr
v(q)
36 km/s
v(Q)
9 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.13 km
TJ
3.06
Eccentricity · e
0.5995

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 1.095 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 4.375 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 3.28 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 2.735 AU gives an orbital period of 4.52 yr, or about 1,652 days.

The high eccentricity (0.6) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

The orbital plane is tilted 5.3° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 36 km/s at perihelion and falls to 9 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 = 22.2 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.13 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 150 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.5931 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
2.735 AU
Eccentricity
0.5995
Perihelion
1.095 AU
Aphelion
4.374632 AU
Inclination
5.3°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
331.25°

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
2035-Nov-03 19:29 0.138673 AU
20745229 km
8.98 km/s
2044-Oct-01 05:54 0.103191 AU
15437224 km
8.08 km/s
2053-Sep-20 11:19 0.155608 AU
23278648 km
10.50 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
22.2

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.59312
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.