SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2018 VS5

2018 VS5

2018 VS5 is an Amor-type near-Earth asteroid that approaches Earth from beyond our orbit without crossing it, orbiting the Sun at 1.176 AU once every 1.28 yr.

Amor Observations: 27
Orbital Period · P
1.28 yr
v(q)
29 km/s
v(Q)
26.1 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.06 km
TJ
5.29
Eccentricity · e
0.0526

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 1.114 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 1.238 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 0.124 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 1.176 AU gives an orbital period of 1.28 yr, or about 466 days.

With e = 0.053, the orbit is close to circular.

A steep inclination of 25.09° carries it well above and below the ecliptic plane.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 29 km/s at perihelion and falls to 26.1 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 = 23.8 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.06 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 27 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.4352 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 7 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
1.176 AU
Eccentricity
0.0526
Perihelion
1.114 AU
Aphelion
1.237858 AU
Inclination
25.09°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
284.92°

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-Nov-22 16:42 0.368330 AU
55101310 km
16.37 km/s
2028-May-01 18:56 0.205592 AU
30756189 km
12.98 km/s
2032-Nov-08 23:15 0.160035 AU
23940934 km
12.94 km/s
2041-Nov-18 19:48 0.239483 AU
35826169 km
14.49 km/s
2042-Apr-26 20:18 0.217857 AU
32590897 km
13.93 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
23.8

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.43517
Condition
7
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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