SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2021 GF2

2021 GF2

2021 GF2 belongs to the Apollo group of near-Earth asteroids, whose orbits cross the path of Earth; with a semi-major axis of 1.022 AU it takes 1.03 yr to circle the Sun.

Apollo Observations: 12
Orbital Period · P
1.03 yr
v(q)
35.2 km/s
v(Q)
24.6 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.02 km
TJ
5.96
Eccentricity · e
0.1766

Orbit and dynamics

Between its closest point (0.842 AU) and its farthest (1.202 AU), the heliocentric distance changes by 0.36 AU over every revolution.

One full revolution takes 1.03 yr (377 days), computed from the semi-major axis of 1.022 AU.

An eccentricity of 0.177 makes the orbit moderately elongated.

Its inclination of 3.18° keeps it close to the plane of the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 35.2 km/s at perihelion and falls to 24.6 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 = 26.74 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.02 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

Astrometry from 12 individual observations underpins this orbit; the fit leaves an RMS residual of 0.4825 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
1.022 AU
Eccentricity
0.1766
Perihelion
0.842 AU
Aphelion
1.202485 AU
Inclination
3.18°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
103.19°

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
2046-Aug-11 10:36 0.330771 AU
49482698 km
19.53 km/s
2047-Aug-21 14:42 0.120868 AU
18081525 km
13.58 km/s
2052-Mar-10 04:37 0.026485 AU
3962088 km
4.06 km/s
2053-Mar-16 11:30 0.061445 AU
9192080 km
9.81 km/s
2054-Mar-25 18:12 0.282901 AU
42321323 km
15.77 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
26.74

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.48247
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.

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