SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2018 XT2

2018 XT2

2018 XT2 is an Amor-type near-Earth asteroid that approaches Earth from beyond our orbit without crossing it, orbiting the Sun at 1.66 AU once every 2.14 yr.

Amor Observations: 111
Orbital Period · P
2.14 yr
v(q)
33.6 km/s
v(Q)
15.9 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.14 km
TJ
4.18
Eccentricity · e
0.3567

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 1.068 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 2.252 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 1.184 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 1.66 AU gives an orbital period of 2.14 yr, or about 781 days.

An eccentricity of 0.357 makes the orbit moderately elongated.

The orbital plane is tilted 7.17° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 33.6 km/s at perihelion and falls to 15.9 km/s at aphelion.

Its perihelion lies just outside Earth's orbit, which is why it is classed as Earth-approaching rather than Earth-crossing.

Size and surface

No direct size measurement is available; from an absolute magnitude of H = 22.1 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.14 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 111 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.4121 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
1.66 AU
Eccentricity
0.3567
Perihelion
1.068 AU
Aphelion
2.252122 AU
Inclination
7.17°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
153.93°

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
2034-Jan-13 06:22 0.216783 AU
32430278 km
9.02 km/s
2049-Jan-01 03:31 0.459881 AU
68797188 km
16.30 km/s
2049-Apr-18 22:52 0.462144 AU
69135803 km
4.19 km/s
2050-Dec-07 11:13 0.444244 AU
66458012 km
4.63 km/s
2051-Mar-16 22:19 0.459899 AU
68799907 km
15.20 km/s
2066-Feb-16 09:59 0.222295 AU
33254818 km
6.38 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
22.1

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.4121
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

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