SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2018 YW2

2018 YW2

2018 YW2 belongs to the Apollo group of near-Earth asteroids, whose orbits cross the path of Earth; with a semi-major axis of 1.996 AU it takes 2.82 yr to circle the Sun.

Apollo Observations: 86
Orbital Period · P
2.82 yr
v(q)
36.9 km/s
v(Q)
12 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.06 km
TJ
3.67
Eccentricity · e
0.5085

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 0.981 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 3.011 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 2.03 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 1.996 AU gives an orbital period of 2.82 yr, or about 1,030 days.

The high eccentricity (0.508) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

Its inclination of 4.99° keeps it close to the plane of the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 36.9 km/s at perihelion and falls to 12 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 = 23.9 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 86 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.3913 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 4 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
1.996 AU
Eccentricity
0.5085
Perihelion
0.981 AU
Aphelion
3.010966 AU
Inclination
4.99°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
222.36°

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
2033-Mar-27 20:45 0.417319 AU
62429987 km
20.16 km/s
2050-Jan-09 02:56 0.016313 AU
2440331 km
7.95 km/s
2064-Mar-04 11:35 0.067586 AU
10110774 km
10.87 km/s
2078-Mar-29 19:52 0.325516 AU
48696475 km
20.93 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
23.9

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.39129
Condition
4
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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