SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2018 VA2

2018 VA2

2018 VA2 belongs to the Apollo group of near-Earth asteroids, whose orbits cross the path of Earth; with a semi-major axis of 1.364 AU it takes 1.59 yr to circle the Sun.

Apollo Observations: 60
Orbital Period · P
1.59 yr
v(q)
35.4 km/s
v(Q)
18.4 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.01 km
TJ
4.78
Eccentricity · e
0.3162

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 0.933 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 1.795 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 0.862 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 1.364 AU gives an orbital period of 1.59 yr, or about 582 days.

An eccentricity of 0.316 makes the orbit moderately elongated.

Its inclination of 3.91° keeps it close to the plane of the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 35.4 km/s at perihelion and falls to 18.4 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 = 27.08 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 60 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.3819 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
1.364 AU
Eccentricity
0.3162
Perihelion
0.933 AU
Aphelion
1.795297 AU
Inclination
3.91°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
251.09°

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-Mar-27 22:41 0.402066 AU
60148173 km
5.81 km/s
2034-Oct-07 23:37 0.368488 AU
55124963 km
18.97 km/s
2045-Sep-05 00:40 0.426393 AU
63787521 km
6.33 km/s
2046-Feb-22 22:58 0.216573 AU
32398922 km
15.03 km/s
2069-Nov-05 10:32 0.001072 AU
160351 km
7.24 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
27.08

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.38187
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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