SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2017 XT61

2017 XT61

2017 XT61 belongs to the Apollo group of near-Earth asteroids, whose orbits cross the path of Earth; with a semi-major axis of 1.744 AU it takes 2.30 yr to circle the Sun.

Apollo Observations: 38
Orbital Period · P
2.30 yr
v(q)
39.7 km/s
v(Q)
12.8 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.08 km
TJ
3.98
Eccentricity · e
0.512

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 0.851 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 2.637 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 1.786 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 1.744 AU gives an orbital period of 2.30 yr, or about 841 days.

The high eccentricity (0.512) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

Its inclination of 3.31° keeps it close to the plane of the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 39.7 km/s at perihelion and falls to 12.8 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 = 23.2 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.08 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 38 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.2839 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 4 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
1.744 AU
Eccentricity
0.512
Perihelion
0.851 AU
Aphelion
2.636928 AU
Inclination
3.31°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
219.35°

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
2034-May-16 15:59 0.293480 AU
43903925 km
20.31 km/s
2041-Feb-27 08:08 0.146524 AU
21919747 km
9.70 km/s
2047-Dec-14 12:44 0.314515 AU
47050796 km
21.37 km/s
2057-May-25 05:38 0.449457 AU
67237755 km
25.04 km/s
2064-Apr-06 15:10 0.100717 AU
15067068 km
9.32 km/s
2070-Dec-23 05:38 0.162383 AU
24292139 km
16.78 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
23.2

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.28394
Condition
4
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

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