2026 KJ3 is an asteroid in the Aten orbit class. Its orbit takes it from 0.77 AU to 1.19 AU from the Sun; one orbit takes 356.1 days. Orbit from the JPL solution of 19 June 2026.
Where is it now
- Distance from Sun
- 1.023 AU
- True anomaly
- 247.24°
- Distance from Earth
- 0.663 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 51m 41s
- Declination
- -32° 52′ 00″
- Constellation
- Sagittarius
- Distance from Earth
- 0.66 AU
- Elongation from the Sun
- 73.14° — well clear of the Sun
Favours the southern hemisphere; low or below the horizon from far north.
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
- 0.983 AU
- Eccentricity
- 0.2151
- Inclination
- 7.66°
- Orbital period
- 356.1 days
- Perihelion
- 0.772 AU
- Aphelion
- 1.195 AU
- Longitude of ascending node
- 83.94°
- Argument of periapsis
- 31.33°
- Epoch · J2000
- 2461200.5
- Orbit class · ATE
- Aten
- Earth MOID · 29.9 LD
- 0.0768 AU
- Tisserand (Jupiter)
- 6.134
Orbit quality
Orbit reasonably well determined (uncertainty code 5).
- Observations used
- 40
- Data arc
- 24 days
- First observed
- 26 May 2026
- Last observed
- 19 June 2026
- Residual RMS
- 0.45 ″
- Solution · Otto Matic
- 19 June 2026
Visual & observation
- Absolute magnitude (H)
- 24.41
Discovery & classification
Close approaches 68 on record
Top-down view of the ecliptic, Earth at the centre, for the 2027-06-19 23:39 UTC close approach of 2026 KJ3. Catalogue miss distance 62.3 LD · 2.39 × 10⁷ km. The curve is the geocentric path from 2027-06-16 to 2027-06-22, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2027-06-19 23:39:00 | Earth | 0.1601 AU | 62.3 LD | 5.9 km/s |
| 2028-07-17 15:12:00 | Earth | 0.1958 AU | 76.2 LD | 6 km/s |
| 2029-08-20 14:51:00 | Earth | 0.1908 AU | 74.3 LD | 5.1 km/s |
| 2029-11-23 10:44:00 | Earth | 0.1657 AU | 64.5 LD | 6.7 km/s |
| 2030-10-14 22:04:00 | Earth | 0.1243 AU | 48.4 LD | 6.3 km/s |
| 2031-09-30 08:14:00 | Earth | 0.1959 AU | 76.2 LD | 10.6 km/s |
| 2063-05-14 09:49:00 | Earth | 0.1348 AU | 52.5 LD | 9.5 km/s |
| 2064-05-18 22:11:00 | Earth | 0.0831 AU | 32.3 LD | 6 km/s |
| 2065-06-16 04:19:00 | Earth | 0.1531 AU | 59.6 LD | 5.8 km/s |
| 2066-07-15 12:19:00 | Earth | 0.1939 AU | 75.4 LD | 6 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