Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Main-belt Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. state of Rhode Island (59.25 km diameter)
  • Not a Near Earth Object
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

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

Terentia orbits the sun every 1,830 days (5.01 years), coming as close as 2.61 AU and reaching as far as 3.26 AU from the sun. Terentia is about 59.2 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the U.S. state of Rhode Island.

The rotation of Terentia has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 19.31 hours.

Terentia's spectral type None (Tholen) / Ch (SMASSII) indicates that it is likely to contain water, iron, nickel, cobalt, nitrogen, and ammonia.

No Close Approaches

Terentia's orbit is 1.63 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

Terentia's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 14, 1915. It was last officially observed on July 3, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 4,975 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 Terentia:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.933 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1117
  • Inclination: 9.86°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 275.17°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 95.74°
  • Mean Anomaly: 175.36°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 59.24600 km
  • Magnitude: 9.97
  • Albedo: 0.042
  • Spectral type (SMASS): Ch

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,830 days (5.01 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 17.44 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.26 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.61 AU
  • Rotation Period: 19.31 hours
  • Approx. Composition: water, iron, nickel, cobalt, nitrogen, and ammonia.

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Terentia 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.