SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2019 WH2

2019 WH2

2019 WH2 belongs to the Apollo group of near-Earth asteroids, whose orbits cross the path of Earth; with a semi-major axis of 1.69 AU it takes 2.20 yr to circle the Sun.

Apollo Observations: 38
Orbital Period · P
2.20 yr
v(q)
38 km/s
v(Q)
13.8 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.02 km
TJ
4.08
Eccentricity · e
0.4664

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 0.902 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 2.478 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 1.576 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 1.69 AU gives an orbital period of 2.20 yr, or about 802 days.

The high eccentricity (0.466) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

The orbital plane is tilted 6.67° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 38 km/s at perihelion and falls to 13.8 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 = 26.8 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.02 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 38 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.4101 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 6 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
1.69 AU
Eccentricity
0.4664
Perihelion
0.902 AU
Aphelion
2.478216 AU
Inclination
6.67°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
332.8°

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
2030-Nov-23 23:48 0.000699 AU
104496 km
12.09 km/s
2041-Nov-12 13:19 0.155309 AU
23233857 km
16.70 km/s
2052-Nov-02 03:53 0.351412 AU
52570439 km
22.04 km/s
2055-Apr-02 01:31 0.415808 AU
62203923 km
23.13 km/s
2066-Mar-22 15:08 0.256105 AU
38312698 km
17.58 km/s
2077-Mar-09 21:38 0.136060 AU
20354214 km
12.16 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
26.8

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.41008
Condition
6
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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