SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2018 VN5

2018 VN5

2018 VN5 is an Amor-type near-Earth asteroid that approaches Earth from beyond our orbit without crossing it, orbiting the Sun at 1.104 AU once every 1.16 yr.

Amor Observations: 111
Orbital Period · P
1.16 yr
v(q)
30 km/s
v(Q)
26.8 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.03 km
TJ
5.63
Eccentricity · e
0.0577

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 1.04 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 1.168 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 0.128 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 1.104 AU gives an orbital period of 1.16 yr, or about 424 days.

With e = 0.058, the orbit is close to circular.

Its inclination of 3.56° keeps it close to the plane of the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 30 km/s at perihelion and falls to 26.8 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 = 25.46 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.03 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 111 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.4323 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
1.104 AU
Eccentricity
0.0577
Perihelion
1.04 AU
Aphelion
1.167701 AU
Inclination
3.56°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
212.87°

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
2033-Apr-13 22:55 0.169316 AU
25329358 km
3.28 km/s
2040-Jun-15 07:02 0.125770 AU
18814854 km
2.49 km/s
2047-Nov-03 22:39 0.053347 AU
7980576 km
1.90 km/s
2055-Feb-16 12:47 0.162389 AU
24292977 km
2.63 km/s
2062-Apr-27 16:24 0.161738 AU
24195706 km
3.24 km/s
2069-Jul-18 01:47 0.105399 AU
15767476 km
1.53 km/s
2076-Dec-10 04:45 0.099835 AU
14935164 km
1.91 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
25.46

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.43232
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

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