SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 612171

612171

612171 is an Amor-type near-Earth asteroid that approaches Earth from beyond our orbit without crossing it, orbiting the Sun at 2.302 AU once every 3.49 yr.

Amor Observations: 271
Orbital Period · P
3.49 yr
v(q)
33.8 km/s
v(Q)
11.4 km/s
Diameter · ≈
0.31 km
TJ
3.39
Eccentricity · e
0.4962

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 1.16 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 3.444 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 2.284 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 2.302 AU gives an orbital period of 3.49 yr, or about 1,276 days.

The high eccentricity (0.496) produces a strongly elongated orbit, so the object spends most of its time far from the Sun.

The orbital plane is tilted 12.22° relative to the ecliptic.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 33.8 km/s at perihelion and falls to 11.4 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 = 20.27 and an assumed geometric albedo of 0.14, the diameter works out to roughly 0.31 km.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 271 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.482 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
2.302 AU
Eccentricity
0.4962
Perihelion
1.16 AU
Aphelion
3.444252 AU
Inclination
12.22°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
134.31°

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-Aug-11 20:14 0.422151 AU
63152843 km
14.52 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
20.27

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.48201
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

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