Orbit and dynamics
The path is an ellipse reaching 0.805 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 1.539 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 0.734 AU.
Applying Kepler's third law to a = 1.172 AU gives an orbital period of 1.27 yr, or about 463 days.
An eccentricity of 0.313 makes the orbit moderately elongated.
The orbital plane is tilted 5.77° relative to the ecliptic.
By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 38 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
Neither a measured diameter nor a reliable absolute magnitude is available for 2021 UL, so its physical size remains unconstrained.
Observation record and orbit quality
The current orbit solution is based on 40 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.4326 arcseconds.
Condition code U = 5 indicates a moderately constrained orbit; predictions decades ahead still carry noticeable uncertainty.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2027-Feb-10 13:54 | 0.167931 AU 25122191 km |
6.46 km/s |
| 2032-Apr-07 13:29 | 0.291441 AU 43598923 km |
17.51 km/s |
| 2035-Oct-02 17:43 | 0.241359 AU 36106748 km |
16.15 km/s |
| 2040-Dec-07 00:52 | 0.176551 AU 26411722 km |
7.25 km/s |
| 2041-May-07 06:20 | 0.369642 AU 55297594 km |
7.18 km/s |
| 2045-Aug-06 05:40 | 0.476786 AU 71326118 km |
8.53 km/s |
| 2046-Mar-26 07:01 | 0.045186 AU 6759692 km |
10.05 km/s |
| 2049-Sep-21 05:47 | 0.467308 AU 69908315 km |
22.87 km/s |
| 2054-Oct-19 16:19 | 0.024496 AU 3664528 km |
8.12 km/s |
| 2055-May-25 05:58 | 0.450659 AU 67417571 km |
8.34 km/s |
| 2059-Aug-15 01:06 | 0.448903 AU 67154992 km |
8.10 km/s |
| 2060-Mar-19 05:40 | 0.057346 AU 8578907 km |
7.41 km/s |
| 2065-Apr-17 03:53 | 0.470519 AU 70388571 km |
23.39 km/s |
| 2068-Oct-17 03:11 | 0.000753 AU 112669 km |
8.80 km/s |
| 2069-May-24 00:37 | 0.448174 AU 67045858 km |
8.42 km/s |
Distances in astronomical units (AU) and kilometres. Source: NASA/JPL CNEOS Close Approach Data API.
Physical Parameters
Orbit Quality
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