SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2021 QL1

2021 QL1

2021 QL1 is an Aten-type near-Earth asteroid whose orbit lies mostly inside that of Earth, with a semi-major axis of 0.991 AU and a period of 0.99 yr.

Aten Observations: 50
Orbital Period · P
0.99 yr
v(q)
32.9 km/s
v(Q)
27.2 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.06 km
TJ
6.07
Eccentricity · e
0.0958

Orbit and dynamics

Between its closest point (0.896 AU) and its farthest (1.086 AU), the heliocentric distance changes by 0.19 AU over every revolution.

One full revolution takes 0.99 yr (360 days), computed from the semi-major axis of 0.991 AU.

With e = 0.096, the orbit is close to circular.

The orbital plane is tilted 19.78° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 32.9 km/s at perihelion and falls to 27.2 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 = 24.04 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.06 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

Astrometry from 50 individual observations underpins this orbit; the fit leaves an RMS residual of 0.4626 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 2 means the orbit is very well determined, leaving only a small uncertainty in the future ephemeris.

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
0.9908 AU
Eccentricity
0.0958
Perihelion
0.896 AU
Aphelion
1.085719 AU
Inclination
19.78°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
141.15°

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
2026-Dec-20 23:34 0.448636 AU
67115021 km
14.27 km/s
2027-Sep-10 19:07 0.418175 AU
62558117 km
15.82 km/s
2028-Sep-10 03:35 0.495705 AU
74156422 km
17.77 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
24.04

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.46263
Condition
2
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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