SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 242191

242191

242191 is an Aten-type near-Earth asteroid whose orbit lies mostly inside that of Earth, with a semi-major axis of 0.793 AU and a period of 0.71 yr.

Aten Observations: 647
Orbital Period · P
0.71 yr
v(q)
57.3 km/s
v(Q)
19.5 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.56 km
TJ
7.21
Eccentricity · e
0.4923

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 0.403 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 1.184 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 0.781 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 0.793 AU gives an orbital period of 0.71 yr, or about 258 days.

The high eccentricity (0.492) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

The orbital plane is tilted 18.25° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 57.3 km/s at perihelion and falls to 19.5 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

The measured diameter is 0.37 km, a value from direct size determination rather than from brightness alone.

A geometric albedo of 0.334 points to a comparatively bright, reflective surface.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 647 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.3593 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
0.7934 AU
Eccentricity
0.4923
Perihelion
0.403 AU
Aphelion
1.183991 AU
Inclination
18.25°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
50.83°

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-Jul-17 19:14 0.141985 AU
21240666 km
12.52 km/s
2032-Jul-12 07:50 0.183090 AU
27389828 km
20.05 km/s
2044-Jul-14 23:54 0.115838 AU
17329149 km
17.91 km/s
2056-Jul-16 22:08 0.071219 AU
10654142 km
16.08 km/s
2068-Jul-18 00:01 0.070890 AU
10604950 km
14.62 km/s

Distances in astronomical units (AU) and kilometres. Source: NASA/JPL CNEOS Close Approach Data API.

Physical Parameters

Diameter
0.37 km
Albedo
0.334
Density
— g/cm³
Rotation Period
— h
Absolute Magnitude
19.02

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.3593
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.

Keep exploring

Explore asteroids, comets and near-Earth objects with JPL orbital data.