SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2021 FL2

2021 FL2

2021 FL2 belongs to the Apollo group of near-Earth asteroids, whose orbits cross the path of Earth; with a semi-major axis of 1.188 AU it takes 1.29 yr to circle the Sun.

Apollo Observations: 20
Orbital Period · P
1.29 yr
v(q)
37.5 km/s
v(Q)
19.9 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.01 km
TJ
5.28
Eccentricity · e
0.3062

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 0.824 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 1.552 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 0.728 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 1.188 AU gives an orbital period of 1.29 yr, or about 473 days.

An eccentricity of 0.306 makes the orbit moderately elongated.

The orbital plane is tilted 7.99° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 37.5 km/s at perihelion and falls to 19.9 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 = 28 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.01 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 20 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.4102 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
1.188 AU
Eccentricity
0.3062
Perihelion
0.824 AU
Aphelion
1.551766 AU
Inclination
7.99°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
57.44°

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-Apr-07 13:33 0.282230 AU
42220996 km
19.96 km/s
2037-Sep-22 02:04 0.322941 AU
48311290 km
23.03 km/s
2046-Oct-13 02:54 0.062574 AU
9360909 km
10.66 km/s
2047-May-23 22:18 0.461950 AU
69106667 km
8.20 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
28.0

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.41024
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.

Keep exploring

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