SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2022 BU2

2022 BU2

2022 BU2 belongs to the Apollo group of near-Earth asteroids, whose orbits cross the path of Earth; with a semi-major axis of 1.778 AU it takes 2.37 yr to circle the Sun.

Apollo Observations: 100
Orbital Period · P
2.37 yr
v(q)
38.8 km/s
v(Q)
12.9 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.31 km
TJ
3.75
Eccentricity · e
0.5021

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 0.885 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 2.671 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 1.786 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 1.778 AU gives an orbital period of 2.37 yr, or about 866 days.

The high eccentricity (0.502) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

A steep inclination of 35.95° carries it well above and below the ecliptic plane.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 38.8 km/s at perihelion and falls to 12.9 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

No direct size measurement is available; from an absolute magnitude of H = 20.32 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.31 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 100 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.491 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 3 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
1.778 AU
Eccentricity
0.5021
Perihelion
0.885 AU
Aphelion
2.670734 AU
Inclination
35.95°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
262.55°

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
2029-Aug-07 12:13 0.173463 AU
25949667 km
23.61 km/s
2041-Feb-21 00:37 0.408677 AU
61137202 km
25.86 km/s
2048-Aug-01 17:31 0.172599 AU
25820441 km
20.77 km/s
2067-Feb-26 22:59 0.413532 AU
61863457 km
18.84 km/s
2067-Jul-28 21:27 0.320685 AU
47973729 km
18.60 km/s
2074-Aug-18 21:56 0.418690 AU
62635160 km
29.88 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
20.32

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.49105
Condition
3
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

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