About 1996 GQ
1996 GQ is an uncommon neo. It swings within 1.005 AU of the Sun at perihelion.
An Apollo-class object: its orbit is wider than Earth's but crosses it. Most known Earth-crossers belong to this family.
Uncommon neo 23 EP
1996 GQ
Position computed live · sbdb
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Live ephemeris
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Score breakdown
· 5 badgesUncommon 34 pts → Rare
- Darker than charcoal +10
- Near-Earth object +5
- Tiny fragment (<1 km) +4
- Apollo: crosses Earth's orbit +4
- Catalogue designation only +0
Total score 23
11 more points to reach Rare.
Badges
- Near-Earth object · +5
- Tiny fragment (<1 km) · +4
- Catalogue designation only
- Apollo: crosses Earth's orbit · +4
- Darker than charcoal · +10
Trivia
What it actually is
- Its orbit family. An Apollo-class object: its orbit is wider than Earth's but crosses it. Most known Earth-crossers belong to this family.
- Closest approach. At its nearest it comes within 1 AU of the Sun — inside the orbit of Mars.
- One lap. A single orbit around the Sun takes it about 2.8 years.
- How far it roams. Its orbit swings between 1.01 and 2.97 AU from the Sun.
Sense of scale
- Sense of scale. In everyday terms it is about 2 football pitches across.
Standing on it
- Don't jump. Escape velocity here is only around 0.13 m/s. A determined jump would launch you off it and into your own orbit around the Sun.
By the numbers
- Size. Roughly 208 metres across.
What's in a name
- Designation. Known only by its catalogue designation — no name yet.
Properties
- albedo
- 0.024
- aphelion au
- 2.97
- designation
- 1996 GQ
- diameter km
- 0.208
- eccentricity
- 0.4948
- full name
- (1996 GQ)
- h mag
- 23.19
- inclination
- 0.88
- mean motion deg day
- 0.3512
- moid au
- 0.0221
- name
- 1996 GQ
- number only
- yes
- orbit class
- APO
- perihelion au
- 1.005
- semi major au
- 1.99
How to see it
Like any astronomical target, 1996 GQ is best seen from a dark site away from city lights, and when it is above the horizon depends on your latitude and the time of year. Because it moves against the background stars, the live position panel on this page tracks where it is right now. The visibility panel above works out tonight's viewing window for your saved location.
Why 1996 GQ is an uncommon neo
1996 GQ scores 23 points on Spacedle's rarity scale, which places it in the uncommon tier. Another 11 points would lift it into a rarer tier.
That score comes from 5 science badges — Near-Earth object, Tiny fragment (<1 km), Catalogue designation only, Apollo: crosses Earth's orbit and Darker than charcoal — each earned for a real, measurable property of the object. Rarity on Spacedle is never random: the more remarkable an object's astrophysics, the more badges it collects, the higher it scores, and the rarer it ranks.