SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2018 GF4

2018 GF4

2018 GF4 belongs to the Apollo group of near-Earth asteroids, whose orbits cross the path of Earth; with a semi-major axis of 1.347 AU it takes 1.56 yr to circle the Sun.

Apollo Observations: 111
Orbital Period · P
1.56 yr
v(q)
33.1 km/s
v(Q)
19.9 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.03 km
TJ
4.85
Eccentricity · e
0.2482

Orbit and dynamics

Between its closest point (1.012 AU) and its farthest (1.681 AU), the heliocentric distance changes by 0.669 AU over every revolution.

One full revolution takes 1.56 yr (571 days), computed from the semi-major axis of 1.347 AU.

An eccentricity of 0.248 makes the orbit moderately elongated.

Its inclination of 0.97° keeps it close to the plane of the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 33.1 km/s at perihelion and falls to 19.9 km/s at aphelion.

Size and surface

No direct size measurement is available; from an absolute magnitude of H = 25.2 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.03 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

Astrometry from 111 individual observations underpins this orbit; the fit leaves an RMS residual of 0.4665 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
1.347 AU
Eccentricity
0.2482
Perihelion
1.012 AU
Aphelion
1.681325 AU
Inclination
0.97°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
94.96°

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-Jan-31 17:58 0.226228 AU
33843257 km
12.90 km/s
2032-May-13 09:58 0.299303 AU
44775049 km
15.64 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
25.2

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.46649
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.

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