SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2018 RQ

2018 RQ

2018 RQ belongs to the Apollo group of near-Earth asteroids, whose orbits cross the path of Earth; with a semi-major axis of 2.402 AU it takes 3.72 yr to circle the Sun.

Apollo Observations: 33
Orbital Period · P
3.72 yr
v(q)
40.3 km/s
v(Q)
9.2 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.05 km
TJ
3.22
Eccentricity · e
0.6296

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 0.89 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 3.914 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 3.024 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 2.402 AU gives an orbital period of 3.72 yr, or about 1,360 days.

The high eccentricity (0.63) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

Its inclination of 3.51° keeps it close to the plane of the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 40.3 km/s at perihelion and falls to 9.2 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 = 24.36 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 33 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.4952 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 8 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
2.402 AU
Eccentricity
0.6296
Perihelion
0.89 AU
Aphelion
3.914299 AU
Inclination
3.51°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2458366.5
Mean Anomaly
349.95°

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

No close approaches to Earth are currently on record for this object.

Physical Parameters

Diameter
— km
Albedo
—
Density
— g/cm³
Rotation Period
— h
Absolute Magnitude
24.36

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.4952
Condition
8
Orbit ID
—
Data source: NASA JPL Small-Body Database . 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.