Peleus

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
• Comparable in size to Mount Everest
• Will pass within 29,156,500 km of Earth in 2033
• Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

Peleus is a mid-sized asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified Peleus as a "Near Earth Asteroid" due to its orbit's proximity to Earth, but it is not considered potentially hazardous because computer simulations have not indicated any imminent likelihood of future collision.

Peleus orbits the sun every 1,130 days (3.09 years), coming as close as 0.98 AU and reaching as far as 3.25 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, Peleus is probably between 1.740 to 3.891 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to Mount Everest.

Peleus's spectral type None (Tholen) / Sq (SMASSII) indicates that it is likely to contain and .

Close Approaches

Peleus's orbit is 0.10 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is a wide berth between this asteroid and Earth at all times.

Peleus has 5 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Images and Observations

Peleus's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Dec. 10, 1993. It was last officially observed on May 21, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 668 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 Peleus:

• 1706 Dieckvoss (1931 TS)
• 2335 James (1974 UB)
• 4095 Ishizuchisan (1987 SG)

References

• JPL Small Body Database
• Mission Design
• Sky Finder Chart

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Peleus 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 Peleus 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.