SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2021 VT6

2021 VT6

2021 VT6 belongs to the Apollo group of near-Earth asteroids, whose orbits cross the path of Earth; with a semi-major axis of 1.095 AU it takes 1.15 yr to circle the Sun.

Apollo Observations: 97
Orbital Period · P
1.15 yr
v(q)
35.5 km/s
v(Q)
22.8 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.05 km
TJ
5.64
Eccentricity · e
0.218

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 0.856 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 1.334 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 0.478 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 1.095 AU gives an orbital period of 1.15 yr, or about 419 days.

An eccentricity of 0.218 makes the orbit moderately elongated.

The orbital plane is tilted 6.1° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 35.5 km/s at perihelion and falls to 22.8 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 = 24.29 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.05 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 97 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.3523 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

Semi-Major Axis
1.095 AU
Eccentricity
0.218
Perihelion
0.856 AU
Aphelion
1.33371 AU
Inclination
6.1°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
274.75°

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
2030-Jan-20 23:55 0.134202 AU
20076330 km
4.66 km/s
2030-Jul-21 12:39 0.285649 AU
42732504 km
5.71 km/s
2037-Oct-28 16:06 0.256404 AU
38357511 km
5.44 km/s
2038-Mar-22 01:16 0.160081 AU
23947763 km
5.30 km/s
2038-Jun-19 00:25 0.196989 AU
29469204 km
4.29 km/s
2044-Nov-22 07:55 0.461553 AU
69047334 km
20.45 km/s
2045-Oct-06 00:30 0.312281 AU
46716554 km
6.29 km/s
2046-May-21 07:50 0.052118 AU
7796747 km
5.35 km/s
2052-Nov-27 02:23 0.355883 AU
53239288 km
17.19 km/s
2053-Sep-22 10:01 0.334691 AU
50069041 km
6.57 km/s
2054-May-27 18:45 0.045146 AU
6753808 km
7.96 km/s
2060-Dec-05 11:38 0.183406 AU
27437125 km
12.10 km/s
2061-Sep-01 09:48 0.348035 AU
52065338 km
6.70 km/s
2062-Jun-05 21:20 0.221832 AU
33185559 km
13.08 km/s
2068-Dec-14 10:47 0.020272 AU
3032659 km
6.95 km/s
2069-Aug-11 17:19 0.326460 AU
48837729 km
6.39 km/s
2070-Jun-14 03:31 0.352895 AU
52792374 km
17.75 km/s
2078-Jun-19 04:23 0.334523 AU
50043956 km
20.92 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
24.29

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.35234
Condition
5
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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