SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2018 QU

2018 QU

2018 QU is an Amor-type near-Earth asteroid that approaches Earth from beyond our orbit without crossing it, orbiting the Sun at 1.826 AU once every 2.47 yr.

Amor Observations: 44
Orbital Period · P
2.47 yr
v(q)
32.2 km/s
v(Q)
15.1 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.07 km
TJ
3.91
Eccentricity · e
0.3616

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 1.166 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 2.486 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 1.32 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 1.826 AU gives an orbital period of 2.47 yr, or about 901 days.

An eccentricity of 0.362 makes the orbit moderately elongated.

The orbital plane is tilted 16.53° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 32.2 km/s at perihelion and falls to 15.1 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 = 23.4 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.07 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 44 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.498 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
1.826 AU
Eccentricity
0.3616
Perihelion
1.166 AU
Aphelion
2.486282 AU
Inclination
16.53°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
56.4°

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
2050-Aug-29 10:53 0.358506 AU
53631663 km
12.82 km/s
2055-Aug-27 20:08 0.160526 AU
24014311 km
9.29 km/s
2060-Aug-22 14:35 0.245038 AU
36657187 km
12.06 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
23.4

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.49804
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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