SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2018 VZ9

2018 VZ9

2018 VZ9 belongs to the Apollo group of near-Earth asteroids, whose orbits cross the path of Earth; with a semi-major axis of 2.601 AU it takes 4.19 yr to circle the Sun.

Apollo Observations: 252
Orbital Period · P
4.19 yr
v(q)
38.8 km/s
v(Q)
8.8 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.78 km
TJ
3.04
Eccentricity · e
0.6313

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 0.959 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 4.243 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 3.284 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 2.601 AU gives an orbital period of 4.19 yr, or about 1,532 days.

The high eccentricity (0.631) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

The orbital plane is tilted 18.95° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 38.8 km/s at perihelion and falls to 8.8 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 = 18.28 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.78 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 252 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.4023 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
2.601 AU
Eccentricity
0.6313
Perihelion
0.959 AU
Aphelion
4.243011 AU
Inclination
18.95°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
261.34°

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
2044-May-29 01:12 0.370015 AU
55353422 km
24.10 km/s
2065-Feb-23 16:55 0.382181 AU
57173424 km
15.27 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
18.28

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.40235
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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