Key Facts

Overview

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

Appennino orbits the sun every 1,340 days (3.67 years), coming as close as 2.16 AU and reaching as far as 2.59 AU from the sun. Appennino is about 7.4 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay.

No Close Approaches

Appennino's orbit is 1.18 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

Appennino's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 24, 1960. It was last officially observed on Dec. 22, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 2,702 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 Appennino:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.375 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0903
  • Inclination: 3.15°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 66.48°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 15.43°
  • Mean Anomaly: 1.1°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 7.42600 km
  • Magnitude: 14.5
  • Albedo: 0.078

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,340 days (3.67 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 19.28 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.59 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.16 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Appennino 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.