SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2018 VT8

2018 VT8

2018 VT8 belongs to the Apollo group of near-Earth asteroids, whose orbits cross the path of Earth; with a semi-major axis of 1.435 AU it takes 1.72 yr to circle the Sun.

Apollo Observations: 148
Orbital Period · P
1.72 yr
v(q)
33.7 km/s
v(Q)
18.3 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.05 km
TJ
4.62
Eccentricity · e
0.2949

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 1.011 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 1.858 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 0.847 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 1.435 AU gives an orbital period of 1.72 yr, or about 628 days.

An eccentricity of 0.295 makes the orbit moderately elongated.

The orbital plane is tilted 8.86° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 33.7 km/s at perihelion and falls to 18.3 km/s at aphelion.

Size and surface

No direct size measurement is available; from an absolute magnitude of H = 24.1 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.05 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 148 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.475 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
1.435 AU
Eccentricity
0.2949
Perihelion
1.011 AU
Aphelion
1.858181 AU
Inclination
8.86°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
147.25°

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
2030-Dec-08 05:49 0.136911 AU
20481571 km
9.67 km/s
2042-Aug-09 17:58 0.430806 AU
64447678 km
4.89 km/s
2042-Dec-23 17:01 0.337652 AU
50512020 km
16.03 km/s
2049-Sep-26 18:49 0.275174 AU
41165504 km
13.54 km/s
2073-Nov-18 17:33 0.022162 AU
3315370 km
6.26 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
24.1

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.47499
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

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