Orbit and dynamics
The path is an ellipse reaching 0.996 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 2.52 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 1.524 AU.
Applying Kepler's third law to a = 1.758 AU gives an orbital period of 2.33 yr, or about 851 days.
The high eccentricity (0.434) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.
Its inclination of 1.84° keeps it close to the plane of the ecliptic.
By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 35.7 km/s at perihelion and falls to 14.1 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
Neither a measured diameter nor a reliable absolute magnitude is available for 2021 GC8, so its physical size remains unconstrained.
Observation record and orbit quality
The current orbit solution is based on 34 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.2434 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
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 distance | Velocity |
|---|---|---|
| 2035-Mar-12 23:19 | 0.203050 AU 30375811 km |
13.57 km/s |
| 2042-Mar-01 10:02 | 0.278603 AU 41678443 km |
19.51 km/s |
Distances in astronomical units (AU) and kilometres. Source: NASA/JPL CNEOS Close Approach Data API.
Physical Parameters
Orbit Quality
Related Objects
Same object type
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