SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2021 KT2

2021 KT2

2021 KT2 belongs to the Apollo group of near-Earth asteroids, whose orbits cross the path of Earth; with a semi-major axis of 1.639 AU it takes 2.10 yr to circle the Sun.

Apollo Observations: 27
Orbital Period · P
2.10 yr
v(q)
35.3 km/s
v(Q)
15.3 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.01 km
TJ
4.19
Eccentricity · e
0.395

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 0.992 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 2.286 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 1.294 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 1.639 AU gives an orbital period of 2.10 yr, or about 766 days.

An eccentricity of 0.395 makes the orbit moderately elongated.

The orbital plane is tilted 9° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 35.3 km/s at perihelion and falls to 15.3 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 = 28.45 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 27 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.4588 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
1.639 AU
Eccentricity
0.395
Perihelion
0.992 AU
Aphelion
2.286405 AU
Inclination
9.0°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
132.17°

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
2065-Jul-29 21:14 0.162030 AU
24239368 km
9.81 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
28.45

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.45881
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

Explore asteroids, comets and near-Earth objects with JPL orbital data.