SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2018 CH2

2018 CH2

2018 CH2 belongs to the Apollo group of near-Earth asteroids, whose orbits cross the path of Earth; with a semi-major axis of 2.073 AU it takes 2.98 yr to circle the Sun.

Apollo Observations: 36
Orbital Period · P
2.98 yr
v(q)
37.5 km/s
v(Q)
11.4 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.01 km
TJ
3.57
Eccentricity · e
0.5326

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 0.969 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 3.177 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 2.208 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 2.073 AU gives an orbital period of 2.98 yr, or about 1,090 days.

The high eccentricity (0.533) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

The orbital plane is tilted 5.44° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 37.5 km/s at perihelion and falls to 11.4 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 = 28 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.01 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 36 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.5899 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 7 signals a poorly constrained orbit, so its future path should be treated as provisional.

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
2.073 AU
Eccentricity
0.5326
Perihelion
0.969 AU
Aphelion
3.17708 AU
Inclination
5.44°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
275.2°

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-23 10:37 0.161067 AU
24095345 km
13.89 km/s
2030-Jan-16 04:32 0.261651 AU
39142461 km
16.97 km/s
2033-Jan-08 20:30 0.357946 AU
53547930 km
20.57 km/s
2036-Jan-06 12:40 0.414239 AU
61969330 km
22.71 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
28.0

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.58988
Condition
7
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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