SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2018 BL6

2018 BL6

2018 BL6 is an Amor-type near-Earth asteroid that approaches Earth from beyond our orbit without crossing it, orbiting the Sun at 2.388 AU once every 3.69 yr.

Amor Observations: 50
Orbital Period · P
3.69 yr
v(q)
36.6 km/s
v(Q)
10.2 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.05 km
TJ
3.3
Eccentricity · e
0.5652

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 1.038 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 3.738 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 2.7 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 2.388 AU gives an orbital period of 3.69 yr, or about 1,348 days.

The high eccentricity (0.565) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

Its inclination of 2.74° keeps it close to the plane of the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 36.6 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 = 24.37 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.05 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 50 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.4621 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 6 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
2.388 AU
Eccentricity
0.5652
Perihelion
1.038 AU
Aphelion
3.737698 AU
Inclination
2.74°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
96.26°

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
2029-Mar-16 22:07 0.398349 AU
59592184 km
19.51 km/s
2054-Dec-12 08:23 0.274285 AU
41032487 km
17.87 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
24.37

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.46208
Condition
6
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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