Key Facts

Overview

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

Fouchard orbits the sun every 1,810 days (4.96 years), coming as close as 2.89 AU and reaching as far as 2.92 AU from the sun. Fouchard is about 7.7 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay.

The rotation of Fouchard has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 39.84 hours.

No Close Approaches

Fouchard'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

Fouchard's orbit is determined by observations dating back to March 15, 1978. It was last officially observed on June 23, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 3,535 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 Fouchard:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.905 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0063
  • Inclination: 2.45°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 156.85°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 87.24°
  • Mean Anomaly: 357.88°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 7.67800 km
  • Magnitude: 13.07
  • Albedo: 0.249

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,810 days (4.96 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 17.46 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.92 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.89 AU
  • Rotation Period: 39.84 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Fouchard 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.