SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 462550

462550

462550 belongs to the Apollo group of near-Earth asteroids, whose orbits cross the path of Earth; with a semi-major axis of 1.065 AU it takes 1.10 yr to circle the Sun.

Apollo Observations: 251
Orbital Period · P
1.10 yr
v(q)
72.1 km/s
v(Q)
11.6 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.42 km
TJ
5.47
Eccentricity · e
0.7236

Orbit and dynamics

Between its closest point (0.294 AU) and its farthest (1.836 AU), the heliocentric distance changes by 1.542 AU over every revolution.

One full revolution takes 1.10 yr (401 days), computed from the semi-major axis of 1.065 AU.

The high eccentricity (0.724) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

A steep inclination of 21.5° carries it well above and below the ecliptic plane.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 72.1 km/s at perihelion and falls to 11.6 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 = 19.63 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.42 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

Astrometry from 251 individual observations underpins this orbit; the fit leaves an RMS residual of 0.6108 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
1.065 AU
Eccentricity
0.7236
Perihelion
0.294 AU
Aphelion
1.835634 AU
Inclination
21.5°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
326.26°

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
2032-Mar-01 03:53 0.015997 AU
2393088 km
25.74 km/s
2043-Mar-01 20:58 0.014565 AU
2178828 km
25.65 km/s
2054-Mar-03 08:09 0.054427 AU
8142115 km
26.96 km/s
2065-Mar-05 19:46 0.122467 AU
18320812 km
29.01 km/s
2076-Mar-08 15:16 0.195027 AU
29175609 km
31.23 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
19.63

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.61083
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.