SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 4596

4596

4596 is an Amor-type near-Earth asteroid that approaches Earth from beyond our orbit without crossing it, orbiting the Sun at 2.239 AU once every 3.35 yr.

Amor Observations: 972
Orbital Period · P
3.35 yr
v(q)
35.4 km/s
v(Q)
11.2 km/s
Diameter · ≈
1.8 km
TJ
3.22
Eccentricity · e
0.52

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 1.075 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 3.403 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 2.328 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 2.239 AU gives an orbital period of 3.35 yr, or about 1,224 days.

The high eccentricity (0.52) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

A steep inclination of 37.08° carries it well above and below the ecliptic plane.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 35.4 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 = 16.47 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 1.8 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 972 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.4161 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
2.239 AU
Eccentricity
0.52
Perihelion
1.075 AU
Aphelion
3.40328 AU
Inclination
37.08°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
106.69°

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

No close approaches to Earth are currently on record for this object.

Physical Parameters

Diameter
— km
Albedo
—
Density
— g/cm³
Rotation Period
— h
Absolute Magnitude
16.47

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.41608
Condition
0
Orbit ID
—
Data source: NASA JPL Small-Body Database . 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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