Key Facts

Overview

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

Lilium orbits the sun every 1,800 days (4.93 years), coming as close as 2.66 AU and reaching as far as 3.15 AU from the sun. Lilium is about 40.3 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Houston.

The rotation of Lilium has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 24.60 hours.

No Close Approaches

Lilium's orbit is 1.64 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

Lilium's orbit is determined by observations dating back to July 29, 1906. It was last officially observed on June 12, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 5,879 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 Lilium:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.901 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0843
  • Inclination: 5.39°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 307.44°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 314.7°
  • Mean Anomaly: 281.56°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 40.27600 km
  • Magnitude: 10.91
  • Albedo: 0.044

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,800 days (4.93 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 17.53 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.15 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.66 AU
  • Rotation Period: 24.60 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Lilium 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.