Key Facts

Overview

Amundsenia is a large asteroid with an orbit that crosses the orbit of Mars. NASA JPL has not classified Amundsenia as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

Amundsenia orbits the sun every 1,330 days (3.64 years), coming as close as 1.66 AU and reaching as far as 3.06 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, Amundsenia is probably between 10.013 to 22.389 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the city of Cleveland, Ohio.

The rotation of Amundsenia has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 7.76 hours.

Amundsenia's spectral type None (Tholen) / S (SMASSII) indicates that it is likely to contain and .

No Close Approaches

Amundsenia's orbit is 0.65 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is a very 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

Amundsenia's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Aug. 4, 1926. It was last officially observed on June 27, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 3,545 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 Amundsenia:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.361 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.2967
  • Inclination: 8.36°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 330.31°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 353.66°
  • Mean Anomaly: 276.52°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~12.926 km
  • Magnitude: 12.12
  • Spectral type (SMASS): S

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,330 days (3.64 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 19.31 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.06 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.66 AU
  • Rotation Period: 7.76 hours
  • Approx. Composition: and .

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Amundsenia 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.