Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Main-belt Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. state of Rhode Island (41.06 km diameter)
  • Not a Near Earth Object
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

La Paz is a large asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter in the main portion of the asteroid belt. NASA JPL has not classified La Paz as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

La Paz orbits the sun every 1,990 days (5.45 years), coming as close as 2.87 AU and reaching as far as 3.32 AU from the sun. La Paz is about 41.1 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the U.S. state of Rhode Island.

The rotation of La Paz has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 9.00 hours.

No Close Approaches

La Paz's orbit is 1.87 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is an extremely wide berth between this asteroid and Earth at all times.

Orbital simulations conducted by NASA JPL's CNEOS do not show any close approaches to Earth.

Images and Observations

La Paz's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 31, 1923. It was last officially observed on May 15, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 4,062 observations used to determine its orbit.

Accessibility and Exploration

This asteroid is not considered a viable target for human exploration by the NHATS study.

Similar Objects

These objects have orbits that share similar characteristics to the orbit of La Paz:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 3.093 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.073
  • Inclination: 8.93°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 20.21°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 15.81°
  • Mean Anomaly: 108.66°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 41.06100 km
  • Magnitude: 10.66
  • Albedo: 0.027

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,990 days (5.45 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 16.91 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.32 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.87 AU
  • Rotation Period: 9.00 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of La Paz is indicated by a ◯ pink circle. Note that the object may not be in your current field of view. Use the controls below to adjust position, location, and time.