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Asteroid Near-Earth

2026 RA2

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(2026 RA2)

Where is it now

Distance from Sun
1.341 AU
True anomaly
163.36°
Distance from Earth
0.561 AU
As of
20 October 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.

Sun Earth — 0.996 AU from the Sun Earth 2026 RA2 — 1.341 AU from the Sun 2026 RA2
Seen from above the ecliptic, north up, to scale. Grid: Earth's orbit in blue. 2026 RA2 is 0.561 AU from Earth today (4.7 light-minutes).

In the sky

Right ascension
21h 37m 42s
Declination
-09° 00′ 54″
Constellation
Capricornus
Distance from Earth
0.57 AU
Elongation from the Sun
115.82° — 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.

How do I find my coordinates?

Google Maps on a computer

  1. Right-click the spot where you'll be observing.
  2. The first line of the menu is the coordinates, e.g. 51.50722, -0.12758 — click it and they're copied.
  3. Paste them above.

Google Maps on a phone

  1. Press and hold the spot to drop a pin.
  2. The coordinates appear in the search bar (or on the pin's card) — tap to copy, then paste above.

A full Google Maps link works too, but the short maps.app.goo.gl share links don't carry coordinates — copy the numbers instead. We round to about a kilometre; that's all the sky calculation needs.

Know your what3words address? Paste it, e.g. ///filled.count.soap. This is optional — the three words are sent to what3words to convert them, and we don't store the address or the result.

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
0.888 AU
Eccentricity
0.608
Inclination
6.04°
Orbital period
305.7 days
Perihelion
0.348 AU
Aphelion
1.428 AU
Longitude of ascending node
345.8°
Argument of periapsis
216.33°
Epoch · J2000
2461290.5
Orbit class · ATE
Aten
Earth MOID · 4.7 LD
0.0121 AU
Tisserand (Jupiter)
6.512

Orbit quality

Orbit very uncertain — the object may be effectively lost (uncertainty code 8).

Observations used
39
Data arc
7 days
First observed
6 September 2026
Last observed
13 September 2026
Residual RMS
0.36 ″
Solution · Otto Matic
1 October 2026

Visual & observation

Absolute magnitude (H)
24.88

Discovery & classification

Aten Near-Earth Object

Close approaches 46 on record

Flyby geometry
Ecliptic flyby of 2026 RA2 at 2031-09-04 17:47 UTC Top-down view of the ecliptic, Earth at the centre, for the 2031-09-04 17:47 UTC close approach of 2026 RA2. Catalogue miss distance 32.9 LD · 1.26 × 10⁷ km. The curve is the geocentric path from 2031-09-01 to 2031-09-07, 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. Sun 2 Sep 32.9 LD · 1.26 × 10⁷ km 2031-09-04 17:47 UTC Earth Moon Heliocentric, approximate

Top-down view of the ecliptic, Earth at the centre, for the 2031-09-04 17:47 UTC close approach of 2026 RA2. Catalogue miss distance 32.9 LD · 1.26 × 10⁷ km. The curve is the geocentric path from 2031-09-01 to 2031-09-07, 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.

JPL Horizons

When (UTC) Body Distance Lunar distances Relative speed
2029-11-21 08:51:00 Mercury 0.0364 AU 14.2 LD 31 km/s
2029-11-21 08:51:00 Merc 0.0364 AU 14.2 LD 31 km/s
2030-08-08 04:03:00 Venus 0.0915 AU 35.6 LD 26.3 km/s
2031-08-12 10:19:00 Venus 0.0894 AU 34.8 LD 27.4 km/s
2031-09-04 17:47:00 Earth 0.0845 AU 32.9 LD 21.1 km/s
2036-07-12 09:49:00 Merc 0.0941 AU 36.6 LD 37.3 km/s
2036-07-12 09:49:00 Mercury 0.0941 AU 36.6 LD 37.3 km/s
2038-11-28 13:06:00 Earth 0.1125 AU 43.8 LD 19.8 km/s
2040-10-28 14:45:00 Venus 0.0582 AU 22.6 LD 20.4 km/s
2043-11-30 23:53:00 Earth 0.127 AU 49.4 LD 16.2 km/s

Next ten from today. 1 lunar distance = 384,400 km. Source: JPL close-approach data.

Sources