2026 MF2 is an asteroid in the Aten orbit class. Its orbit takes it from 0.88 AU to 1.09 AU from the Sun; one orbit takes 354.8 days. Orbit from the JPL solution of 22 August 2026.
Where is it now
- Distance from Sun
- 0.944 AU
- True anomaly
- 284.5°
- Distance from Earth
- 0.201 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
- 19h 26m 12s
- Declination
- -14° 59′ 57″
- Constellation
- Sagittarius
- Distance from Earth
- 0.2 AU
- Elongation from the Sun
- 70.35° — well clear of the Sun
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.
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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
- 0.981 AU
- Eccentricity
- 0.1068
- Inclination
- 2.44°
- Orbital period
- 354.8 days
- Perihelion
- 0.876 AU
- Aphelion
- 1.086 AU
- Longitude of ascending node
- 246.04°
- Argument of periapsis
- 218.26°
- Epoch · J2000
- 2461200.5
- Orbit class · ATE
- Aten
- Earth MOID · 8.3 LD
- 0.0212 AU
- Tisserand (Jupiter)
- 6.168
Orbit quality
Orbit poorly determined (uncertainty code 6).
- Observations used
- 29
- Data arc
- 21 days
- First observed
- 21 June 2026
- Last observed
- 12 July 2026
- Residual RMS
- 0.33 ″
- Solution · Otto Matic
- 22 August 2026
Visual & observation
- Absolute magnitude (H)
- 25.73
Discovery & classification
Close approaches 18 on record
Top-down view of the ecliptic, Earth at the centre, for the 2026-12-26 20:17 UTC close approach of 2026 MF2. Catalogue miss distance 41.8 LD · 1.61 × 10⁷ km. The curve is the geocentric path from 2026-12-23 to 2026-12-29, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-12-26 20:17:00 | Earth | 0.1074 AU | 41.8 LD | 3.4 km/s |
| 2027-09-27 12:36:00 | Earth | 0.0466 AU | 18.1 LD | 2.1 km/s |
| 2028-09-13 16:03:00 | Earth | 0.1531 AU | 59.6 LD | 7 km/s |
| 2059-04-27 01:04:00 | Earth | 0.0842 AU | 32.8 LD | 5.1 km/s |
| 2060-12-18 11:13:00 | Earth | 0.1051 AU | 40.9 LD | 3.3 km/s |
| 2061-09-23 08:44:00 | Earth | 0.0408 AU | 15.9 LD | 2.4 km/s |
| 2062-09-12 00:39:00 | Earth | 0.171 AU | 66.5 LD | 7.6 km/s |
| 2092-04-27 21:08:00 | Earth | 0.1582 AU | 61.6 LD | 7.3 km/s |
| 2093-05-01 06:43:00 | Earth | 0.0255 AU | 9.9 LD | 2.5 km/s |
| 2094-01-04 23:46:00 | Earth | 0.1106 AU | 43.0 LD | 3.3 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