SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2023 SO3

2023 SO3

2023 SO3 is an Amor-type near-Earth asteroid that approaches Earth from beyond our orbit without crossing it, orbiting the Sun at 2.273 AU once every 3.43 yr.

Amor Observations: 97
Orbital Period · P
3.43 yr
v(q)
35 km/s
v(Q)
11.2 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.24 km
TJ
3.35
Eccentricity · e
0.516

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 1.1 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 3.446 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 2.346 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 2.273 AU gives an orbital period of 3.43 yr, or about 1,252 days.

The high eccentricity (0.516) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

A steep inclination of 20.46° carries it well above and below the ecliptic plane.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 35 km/s at perihelion and falls to 11.2 km/s at aphelion.

Its perihelion lies just outside Earth's orbit, which is why it is classed as Earth-approaching rather than Earth-crossing.

Size and surface

No direct size measurement is available; from an absolute magnitude of H = 20.87 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.24 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 97 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.3915 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
2.273 AU
Eccentricity
0.516
Perihelion
1.1 AU
Aphelion
3.445868 AU
Inclination
20.46°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
285.28°

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
2047-Oct-26 04:47 0.233286 AU
34899055 km
13.34 km/s
2071-Oct-26 03:12 0.232998 AU
34856070 km
13.32 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
20.87

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.39147
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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