SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2026 CM3

2026 CM3

2026 CM3 belongs to the Apollo group of near-Earth asteroids, whose orbits cross the path of Earth; with a semi-major axis of 1.546 AU it takes 1.92 yr to circle the Sun.

Apollo Observations: 67
Orbital Period · P
1.92 yr
v(q)
38.1 km/s
v(Q)
15.1 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.24 km
TJ
4.33
Eccentricity · e
0.4327

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 0.877 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 2.215 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 1.338 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 1.546 AU gives an orbital period of 1.92 yr, or about 702 days.

The high eccentricity (0.433) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

The orbital plane is tilted 11.96° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 38.1 km/s at perihelion and falls to 15.1 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 = 20.86 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 67 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.4983 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 0 means the orbit is very well determined, leaving only a small uncertainty in the future ephemeris.

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
1.546 AU
Eccentricity
0.4327
Perihelion
0.877 AU
Aphelion
2.214954 AU
Inclination
11.96°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
332.11°

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
2028-Jul-27 07:34 0.145467 AU
21761497 km
10.14 km/s
2051-Sep-05 19:12 0.157612 AU
23578350 km
16.15 km/s
2076-Aug-27 09:13 0.050717 AU
7587229 km
13.18 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
20.86

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.49828
Condition
0
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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