SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2018 WL1

2018 WL1

2018 WL1 belongs to the Apollo group of near-Earth asteroids, whose orbits cross the path of Earth; with a semi-major axis of 2.088 AU it takes 3.02 yr to circle the Sun.

Apollo Observations: 58
Orbital Period · P
3.02 yr
v(q)
81 km/s
v(Q)
5.2 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.2 km
TJ
3.07
Eccentricity · e
0.8784

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 0.254 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 3.922 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 3.668 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 2.088 AU gives an orbital period of 3.02 yr, or about 1,102 days.

The high eccentricity (0.878) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

The orbital plane is tilted 17.13° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 81 km/s at perihelion and falls to 5.2 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 = 21.23 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.2 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 58 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.5069 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
2.088 AU
Eccentricity
0.8784
Perihelion
0.254 AU
Aphelion
3.922099 AU
Inclination
17.13°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
201.66°

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-13 22:16 0.227215 AU
33990878 km
36.46 km/s
2030-Nov-18 01:09 0.288865 AU
43213647 km
39.44 km/s
2033-Nov-22 15:08 0.372166 AU
55675240 km
42.79 km/s
2036-Nov-26 12:58 0.448117 AU
67037341 km
45.67 km/s
2079-Feb-09 05:08 0.379143 AU
56718929 km
40.89 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
21.23

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.50691
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

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