SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2018 TQ

2018 TQ

2018 TQ is an Amor-type near-Earth asteroid that approaches Earth from beyond our orbit without crossing it, orbiting the Sun at 1.953 AU once every 2.73 yr.

Amor Observations: 42
Orbital Period · P
2.73 yr
v(q)
30.8 km/s
v(Q)
14.7 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.17 km
TJ
3.79
Eccentricity · e
0.3531

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 1.263 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 2.643 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 1.38 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 1.953 AU gives an orbital period of 2.73 yr, or about 997 days.

An eccentricity of 0.353 makes the orbit moderately elongated.

The orbital plane is tilted 10.44° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 30.8 km/s at perihelion and falls to 14.7 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 = 21.6 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.17 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 42 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.8164 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
1.953 AU
Eccentricity
0.3531
Perihelion
1.263 AU
Aphelion
2.642604 AU
Inclination
10.44°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
295.2°

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
2029-Oct-04 14:22 0.349187 AU
52237630 km
5.42 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
21.6

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.81639
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.

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