SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2021 CP8

2021 CP8

2021 CP8 belongs to the Apollo group of near-Earth asteroids, whose orbits cross the path of Earth; with a semi-major axis of 1.094 AU it takes 1.14 yr to circle the Sun.

Apollo Observations: 24
Orbital Period · P
1.14 yr
v(q)
41 km/s
v(Q)
19.8 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.13 km
TJ
5.51
Eccentricity · e
0.3491

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 0.712 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 1.476 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 0.764 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 1.094 AU gives an orbital period of 1.14 yr, or about 418 days.

An eccentricity of 0.349 makes the orbit moderately elongated.

A steep inclination of 28.22° carries it well above and below the ecliptic plane.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 41 km/s at perihelion and falls to 19.8 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 = 22.19 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.13 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 24 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.3905 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
1.094 AU
Eccentricity
0.3491
Perihelion
0.712 AU
Aphelion
1.475915 AU
Inclination
28.22°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
101.11°

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-Feb-12 18:39 0.432606 AU
64716893 km
15.56 km/s
2029-Jul-22 14:24 0.315240 AU
47159262 km
20.34 km/s
2037-Feb-11 06:52 0.435899 AU
65209622 km
15.60 km/s
2037-Jul-26 00:47 0.308182 AU
46103354 km
20.35 km/s
2044-Mar-12 17:02 0.461292 AU
69008243 km
20.61 km/s
2045-Feb-11 02:44 0.424140 AU
63450477 km
15.60 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
22.19

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.39051
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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