SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2021 XB2

2021 XB2

2021 XB2 is an Aten-type near-Earth asteroid whose orbit lies mostly inside that of Earth, with a semi-major axis of 0.896 AU and a period of 0.85 yr.

Aten Observations: 26
Orbital Period · P
0.85 yr
v(q)
57.4 km/s
v(Q)
17.3 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.14 km
TJ
6.5
Eccentricity · e
0.5376

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 0.414 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 1.378 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 0.964 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 0.896 AU gives an orbital period of 0.85 yr, or about 310 days.

The high eccentricity (0.538) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

The orbital plane is tilted 10.85° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 57.4 km/s at perihelion and falls to 17.3 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 = 22.02 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.14 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 26 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.317 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
0.8961 AU
Eccentricity
0.5376
Perihelion
0.414 AU
Aphelion
1.377843 AU
Inclination
10.85°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
333.68°

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-Nov-05 04:25 0.422621 AU
63223230 km
12.52 km/s
2028-Jan-13 02:11 0.099375 AU
14866230 km
15.83 km/s
2031-Oct-01 02:04 0.148207 AU
22171519 km
17.05 km/s
2032-Dec-05 07:19 0.424824 AU
63552827 km
12.80 km/s
2033-Dec-30 01:02 0.322811 AU
48291775 km
27.20 km/s
2037-Aug-20 14:48 0.398814 AU
59661726 km
10.90 km/s
2037-Oct-18 16:43 0.355890 AU
53240357 km
11.60 km/s
2039-Jan-10 11:51 0.227436 AU
34023921 km
11.93 km/s
2042-Oct-07 08:25 0.213620 AU
31957066 km
22.14 km/s
2043-Nov-22 10:50 0.445372 AU
66626751 km
12.93 km/s
2045-Jan-05 17:25 0.165707 AU
24789349 km
21.94 km/s
2048-Sep-29 02:33 0.240483 AU
35975804 km
11.67 km/s
2049-Dec-24 05:31 0.341665 AU
51112381 km
12.04 km/s
2050-Feb-24 22:40 0.408370 AU
61091254 km
10.74 km/s
2053-Oct-14 07:45 0.343633 AU
51406785 km
27.42 km/s
2054-Nov-07 22:16 0.426534 AU
63808621 km
12.62 km/s
2056-Jan-12 12:23 0.085999 AU
12865329 km
16.67 km/s
2059-Sep-30 09:34 0.148701 AU
22245392 km
16.31 km/s
2060-Dec-07 11:27 0.414060 AU
61942497 km
12.72 km/s
2061-Dec-29 04:19 0.326696 AU
48872994 km
27.96 km/s
2065-Aug-15 12:42 0.403881 AU
60419684 km
12.11 km/s
2065-Oct-21 08:12 0.359009 AU
53707023 km
11.74 km/s
2067-Jan-11 19:00 0.199423 AU
29833284 km
12.20 km/s
2070-Oct-06 21:26 0.195809 AU
29292593 km
21.70 km/s
2071-Nov-23 16:35 0.444890 AU
66554568 km
12.96 km/s
2073-Jan-05 09:02 0.166335 AU
24883287 km
22.35 km/s
2076-Sep-30 01:07 0.241072 AU
36063893 km
11.52 km/s
2077-Dec-25 07:54 0.331053 AU
49524892 km
11.98 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
22.02

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.31699
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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