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Asteroid Near-Earth

2026 RB4

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(2026 RB4)

Where is it now

Distance from Sun
1.086 AU
True anomaly
180.08°
Distance from Earth
0.229 AU
As of
16 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 — 0.997 AU from the Sun Earth 2026 RB4 — 1.086 AU from the Sun 2026 RB4
Seen from above the ecliptic, north up, to scale. Grid: Earth's orbit in blue. 2026 RB4 is 0.229 AU from Earth today (1.9 light-minutes).

In the sky

Right ascension
20h 37m 02s
Declination
-02° 46′ 53″
Constellation
Aquila
Distance from Earth
0.23 AU
Elongation from the Sun
106.68° — 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
0.769 AU
Eccentricity
0.4117
Inclination
7.81°
Orbital period
246.3 days
Perihelion
0.452 AU
Aphelion
1.086 AU
Longitude of ascending node
348.25°
Argument of periapsis
204.03°
Epoch · J2000
2461200.5
Orbit class · ATE
Aten
Earth MOID · 2.6 LD
0.0067 AU
Tisserand (Jupiter)
7.461

Orbit quality

Orbit poorly determined (uncertainty code 6).

Observations used
76
Data arc
4 days
First observed
9 September 2026
Last observed
13 September 2026
Residual RMS
0.67 ″
Solution · Otto Matic
13 September 2026

Visual & observation

Absolute magnitude (H)
26.34

Discovery & classification

Aten Near-Earth Object

Close approaches 105 on record

Flyby geometry
Ecliptic flyby of 2026 RB4 at 2028-09-06 01:25 UTC Top-down view of the ecliptic, Earth at the centre, for the 2028-09-06 01:25 UTC close approach of 2026 RB4. Catalogue miss distance 34.2 LD · 1.32 × 10⁷ km. The curve is the geocentric path from 2028-09-03 to 2028-09-09, 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 Moon’s position is approximate. The inset is a heliocentric view and is approximate. Sun 34.2 LD · 1.32 × 10⁷ km 2028-09-06 01:25 UTC Earth Moon Heliocentric, approximate

Top-down view of the ecliptic, Earth at the centre, for the 2028-09-06 01:25 UTC close approach of 2026 RB4. Catalogue miss distance 34.2 LD · 1.32 × 10⁷ km. The curve is the geocentric path from 2028-09-03 to 2028-09-09, 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 Moon’s position is approximate. The inset is a heliocentric view and is approximate.

JPL Horizons

When (UTC) Body Distance Lunar distances Relative speed
2028-09-06 01:25:00 Earth 0.088 AU 34.2 LD 12.8 km/s
2029-11-06 21:48:00 Mercury 0.0627 AU 24.4 LD 12.6 km/s
2029-11-06 21:48:00 Merc 0.0627 AU 24.4 LD 12.6 km/s
2030-09-08 11:51:00 Earth 0.1986 AU 77.3 LD 16.4 km/s
2033-03-15 20:42:00 Merc 0.0623 AU 24.3 LD 10 km/s
2033-03-15 20:42:00 Mercury 0.0623 AU 24.3 LD 10 km/s
2034-08-27 10:38:00 Venus 0.0862 AU 33.5 LD 12.1 km/s
2036-07-23 22:35:00 Merc 0.073 AU 28.4 LD 12.5 km/s
2036-07-23 22:35:00 Mercury 0.073 AU 28.4 LD 12.5 km/s
2039-10-27 08:53:00 Venus 0.1397 AU 54.4 LD 20.4 km/s

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

Sources