SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2018 VU

2018 VU

2018 VU belongs to the Apollo group of near-Earth asteroids, whose orbits cross the path of Earth; with a semi-major axis of 1.234 AU it takes 1.37 yr to circle the Sun.

Apollo Observations: 39
Orbital Period · P
1.37 yr
v(q)
32.8 km/s
v(Q)
21.9 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.03 km
TJ
5.09
Eccentricity · e
0.1981

Orbit and dynamics

Between its closest point (0.989 AU) and its farthest (1.478 AU), the heliocentric distance changes by 0.489 AU over every revolution.

One full revolution takes 1.37 yr (501 days), computed from the semi-major axis of 1.234 AU.

An eccentricity of 0.198 makes the orbit moderately elongated.

A steep inclination of 24.31° carries it well above and below the ecliptic plane.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 32.8 km/s at perihelion and falls to 21.9 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 = 25.62 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.03 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

Astrometry from 39 individual observations underpins this orbit; the fit leaves an RMS residual of 0.7344 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
1.234 AU
Eccentricity
0.1981
Perihelion
0.989 AU
Aphelion
1.478455 AU
Inclination
24.31°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
234.75°

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
2029-May-25 02:51 0.315976 AU
47269326 km
14.62 km/s
2033-Nov-11 11:10 0.167919 AU
25120393 km
21.50 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
25.62

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.73438
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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