Key Facts

Overview

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

Richardspalding orbits the sun every 1,820 days (4.98 years), coming as close as 2.70 AU and reaching as far as 3.13 AU from the sun. Richardspalding is about 7.9 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay.

No Close Approaches

Richardspalding's orbit is 1.70 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

Richardspalding's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 24, 1981. It was last officially observed on June 21, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 3,966 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 Richardspalding:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.913 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0734
  • Inclination: 3.13°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 100.76°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 276.35°
  • Mean Anomaly: 171.99°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 7.90800 km
  • Magnitude: 13.0
  • Albedo: 0.235

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,820 days (4.98 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 17.41 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.13 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.70 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Richardspalding 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.