SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2018 VL8

2018 VL8

2018 VL8 belongs to the Apollo group of near-Earth asteroids, whose orbits cross the path of Earth; with a semi-major axis of 2.521 AU it takes 4.00 yr to circle the Sun.

Apollo Observations: 107
Orbital Period · P
4.00 yr
v(q)
40.7 km/s
v(Q)
8.7 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.1 km
TJ
3.03
Eccentricity · e
0.6492

Orbit and dynamics

Between its closest point (0.884 AU) and its farthest (4.158 AU), the heliocentric distance changes by 3.274 AU over every revolution.

One full revolution takes 4.00 yr (1,462 days), computed from the semi-major axis of 2.521 AU.

The high eccentricity (0.649) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

A steep inclination of 24.59° carries it well above and below the ecliptic plane.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 40.7 km/s at perihelion and falls to 8.7 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 = 22.8 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.1 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

Astrometry from 107 individual observations underpins this orbit; the fit leaves an RMS residual of 0.3749 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 0 means the orbit is very well determined, leaving only a small uncertainty in the future ephemeris.

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
2.521 AU
Eccentricity
0.6492
Perihelion
0.884 AU
Aphelion
4.157633 AU
Inclination
24.59°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
311.4°

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
2026-Nov-25 05:06 0.072371 AU
10826483 km
17.57 km/s
2030-Nov-27 10:27 0.096810 AU
14482605 km
17.23 km/s
2034-Dec-06 12:35 0.184891 AU
27659230 km
16.25 km/s
2038-Dec-28 06:44 0.324137 AU
48490134 km
16.21 km/s
2043-Jan-24 16:57 0.413453 AU
61851695 km
16.38 km/s
2047-Feb-28 14:22 0.497108 AU
74366356 km
19.55 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
22.8

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.37494
Condition
0
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

Explore asteroids, comets and near-Earth objects with JPL orbital data.