10995 (1978 NS)

Mid-sized Main-belt Asteroid

Space Reference » Main-belt Asteroids » 10995 (1978 NS)

Key Facts

Overview

10995 (1978 NS) is a mid-sized asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter in the main portion of the asteroid belt. NASA JPL has not classified 1978 NS as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

1978 NS orbits the sun every 1,920 days (5.26 years), coming as close as 2.39 AU and reaching as far as 3.66 AU from the sun. 1978 NS is about 6.9 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay.

The rotation of 1978 NS has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 15.63 hours.

No Close Approaches

1978 NS's orbit is 1.38 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

1978 NS's orbit is determined by observations dating back to July 10, 1978. It was last officially observed on Feb. 27, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 1,385 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 1978 NS:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 3.021 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.2099
  • Inclination: 0.45°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 71.67°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 274.36°
  • Mean Anomaly: 179.94°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 6.87600 km
  • Magnitude: 14.59
  • Albedo: 0.064

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,920 days (5.26 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 17.12 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.66 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.39 AU
  • Rotation Period: 15.63 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 10995 (1978 NS) 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.

Size Rendering

The above comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 1978 NS to create an approximate landscape rendering with Mount Everest in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.