2006 QQ56 is an asteroid in the Aten orbit class. Its orbit takes it from 0.94 AU to 1.03 AU from the Sun; one orbit takes 357.1 days. Orbit from the JPL solution of 14 April 2021.
Where is it now
- Distance from Sun
- 0.973 AU
- True anomaly
- 77.33°
- Distance from Earth
- 1.957 AU
- As of
- 2 November 2026
Two-body Kepler propagation — accurate to ~0.1% for major planets over decades, less so for highly-perturbed bodies. Use JPL Horizons for high precision.
In the sky
- Right ascension
- 14h 15m 31s
- Declination
- -12° 27′ 56″
- Constellation
- Virgo
- Distance from Earth
- 1.96 AU
- Elongation from the Sun
- 5.19° — too close to the Sun to observe
Visible from both hemispheres.
From your location
See how high it is right now, whether it is up after civil twilight, and when it rises and sets where you are.
Your location stays in your browser and is sent only for this calculation. Using a what3words address is optional; if you do, the three words go to what3words to be converted and we don't record them. Set a location first, then you can save an email alert for this object. See our privacy policy.
Two-body approximation, good to about a degree for the planets — enough to find the constellation and know whether it is up.
Orbital elements
- Semi-major axis
- 0.985 AU
- Eccentricity
- 0.0456
- Inclination
- 2.8°
- Orbital period
- 357.1 days
- Perihelion
- 0.94 AU
- Aphelion
- 1.03 AU
- Longitude of ascending node
- 161.16°
- Argument of periapsis
- 331.59°
- Epoch · J2000
- 2461200.5
- Orbit class · ATE
- Aten
- Earth MOID · 5.7 LD
- 0.0147 AU
- Tisserand (Jupiter)
- 6.15
Orbit quality
Orbit reasonably well determined (uncertainty code 5).
- Observations used
- 92
- Data arc
- 18 days
- First observed
- 25 August 2006
- Last observed
- 12 September 2006
- Residual RMS
- 0.45 ″
- Solution · Otto Matic
- 14 April 2021
Visual & observation
- Absolute magnitude (H)
- 25.9
Discovery & classification
Close approaches 36 on record
Top-down view of the ecliptic, Earth at the centre, for the 2047-07-02 16:47 UTC close approach of 2006 QQ56. Catalogue miss distance 146.4 LD · 5.63 × 10⁷ km. The curve is the geocentric path from 2047-06-29 to 2047-07-05, with a mark at UTC midnights and an arrow for the direction of motion. The circle is the Moon’s mean orbit; the Moon is plotted at closest approach. A ray shows the Sun’s direction. The labelled distance is the full separation. The drawn radius is the part that lies in the ecliptic plane. The path is a geocentric ecliptic ephemeris from JPL Horizons. The inset is a heliocentric view and is approximate.
| When (UTC) | Body | Distance | Lunar distances | Relative speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2047-07-02 16:47:00 | Earth | 0.3762 AU | 146.4 LD | 11.9 km/s |
| 2048-06-26 06:15:00 | Earth | 0.2435 AU | 94.7 LD | 7.9 km/s |
| 2049-06-21 21:28:00 | Earth | 0.117 AU | 45.5 LD | 4 km/s |
| 2050-04-23 10:46:00 | Earth | 0.0475 AU | 18.5 LD | 1.6 km/s |
| 2050-08-07 07:47:00 | Earth | 0.0335 AU | 13.0 LD | 1.7 km/s |
| 2051-02-09 01:10:00 | Earth | 0.0412 AU | 16.0 LD | 1.8 km/s |
| 2051-09-20 09:36:00 | Earth | 0.0292 AU | 11.4 LD | 1.9 km/s |
| 2052-10-02 04:28:00 | Earth | 0.1633 AU | 63.6 LD | 5.7 km/s |
| 2053-09-25 17:20:00 | Earth | 0.3157 AU | 122.9 LD | 10.3 km/s |
| 2054-09-17 14:47:00 | Earth | 0.4695 AU | 182.7 LD | 14.8 km/s |
Next ten from today. 1 lunar distance = 384,400 km. Source: JPL close-approach data.
Sources
- visual properties: JPL SBDB (lookup)
- orbital elements: JPL SBDB