SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 2026 TC6

2026 TC6

2026 TC6 is an Aten-type near-Earth asteroid whose orbit lies mostly inside that of Earth, with a semi-major axis of 0.746 AU and a period of 0.64 yr.

Aten Observations: 75
Orbital Period · P
0.64 yr
v(q)
56.6 km/s
v(Q)
21 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.02 km
TJ
7.64
Eccentricity · e
0.4594

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 0.404 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 1.089 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 0.685 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 0.746 AU gives an orbital period of 0.64 yr, or about 236 days.

The high eccentricity (0.459) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

The orbital plane is tilted 8° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 56.6 km/s at perihelion and falls to 21 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 = 26.04 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.02 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 75 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.6101 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
0.7464 AU
Eccentricity
0.4594
Perihelion
0.404 AU
Aphelion
1.089296 AU
Inclination
8.0°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
42.42°

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
2035-Sep-13 18:10 0.104173 AU
15584035 km
9.29 km/s
2037-Oct-15 16:28 0.082373 AU
12322774 km
14.48 km/s
2044-Aug-23 03:30 0.101366 AU
15164070 km
12.01 km/s
2046-Oct-08 21:52 0.013727 AU
2053517 km
9.75 km/s
2057-Oct-15 23:22 0.011355 AU
1698648 km
12.83 km/s
2064-Aug-22 11:37 0.114128 AU
17073360 km
13.67 km/s
2066-Oct-01 07:00 0.056252 AU
8415148 km
9.33 km/s
2075-Aug-30 16:42 0.099488 AU
14883204 km
9.93 km/s
2077-Oct-15 07:07 0.011275 AU
1686658 km
11.58 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
26.04

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.61009
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.

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