SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2021 XF

2021 XF

2021 XF is an Aten-type near-Earth asteroid whose orbit lies mostly inside that of Earth, with a semi-major axis of 0.815 AU and a period of 0.74 yr.

Aten Observations: 21
Orbital Period · P
0.74 yr
v(q)
46 km/s
v(Q)
23.6 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.01 km
TJ
7.13
Eccentricity · e
0.3215

Orbit and dynamics

Between its closest point (0.553 AU) and its farthest (1.078 AU), the heliocentric distance changes by 0.525 AU over every revolution.

One full revolution takes 0.74 yr (269 days), computed from the semi-major axis of 0.815 AU.

An eccentricity of 0.322 makes the orbit moderately elongated.

Its inclination of 4.37° keeps it close to the plane of the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 46 km/s at perihelion and falls to 23.6 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 = 28.35 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.01 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

Astrometry from 21 individual observations underpins this orbit; the fit leaves an RMS residual of 0.1921 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
0.8154 AU
Eccentricity
0.3215
Perihelion
0.553 AU
Aphelion
1.077551 AU
Inclination
4.37°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
287.11°

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
2027-Apr-28 20:51 0.453719 AU
67875471 km
16.62 km/s
2029-Sep-28 23:49 0.222142 AU
33231967 km
15.70 km/s
2030-Mar-23 21:48 0.417346 AU
62434029 km
14.29 km/s
2032-Oct-08 18:29 0.073853 AU
11048259 km
6.75 km/s
2035-Jul-08 15:00 0.344213 AU
51493531 km
9.89 km/s
2035-Dec-07 16:40 0.007956 AU
1190246 km
9.34 km/s
2038-May-27 01:55 0.437965 AU
65518697 km
15.51 km/s
2038-Nov-28 19:58 0.346632 AU
51855472 km
20.35 km/s
2040-Oct-07 22:12 0.461145 AU
68986282 km
23.63 km/s
2041-Apr-20 01:55 0.451407 AU
67529575 km
16.50 km/s
2043-Sep-27 05:21 0.151708 AU
22695239 km
12.64 km/s
2044-Mar-11 16:49 0.397738 AU
59500793 km
12.71 km/s
2046-Nov-05 16:19 0.090844 AU
13590142 km
6.62 km/s
2049-Jun-20 09:00 0.402549 AU
60220406 km
12.69 km/s
2049-Dec-05 19:11 0.159382 AU
23843139 km
13.51 km/s
2052-May-12 00:15 0.452296 AU
67662561 km
16.44 km/s
2054-Oct-03 07:05 0.329087 AU
49230659 km
19.31 km/s
2055-Apr-05 19:41 0.435998 AU
65224362 km
15.61 km/s
2057-Sep-27 06:12 0.068688 AU
10275580 km
8.55 km/s
2058-Feb-21 12:17 0.337117 AU
50431983 km
9.59 km/s
2060-Dec-01 16:06 0.009276 AU
1387667 km
7.27 km/s
2063-Jun-08 08:33 0.419876 AU
62812545 km
14.25 km/s
2063-Dec-03 04:11 0.231007 AU
34558087 km
16.73 km/s
2066-May-04 12:00 0.453061 AU
67776902 km
16.60 km/s
2068-Sep-30 18:18 0.306482 AU
45849075 km
17.66 km/s
2069-Mar-30 20:59 0.430800 AU
64446705 km
15.07 km/s
2071-Sep-29 09:35 0.068575 AU
10258720 km
7.85 km/s
2072-Feb-17 23:00 0.340282 AU
50905494 km
8.83 km/s
2074-Jul-21 06:36 0.313752 AU
46936594 km
7.67 km/s
2074-Dec-02 21:43 0.008371 AU
1252243 km
7.37 km/s
2077-Jun-09 12:27 0.416409 AU
62293890 km
14.01 km/s
2077-Dec-03 08:36 0.228205 AU
34139030 km
16.16 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
28.35

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.19211
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.