Key Facts

Overview

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

Ignace orbits the sun every 1,680 days (4.60 years), coming as close as 2.60 AU and reaching as far as 2.93 AU from the sun. Ignace is about 8.3 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay.

No Close Approaches

Ignace's orbit is 1.61 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

Ignace's orbit is determined by observations dating back to July 29, 1989. It was last officially observed on Feb. 9, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 2,017 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 Ignace:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.764 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0585
  • Inclination: 6.11°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 312.95°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 221.12°
  • Mean Anomaly: 278.05°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 8.25700 km
  • Magnitude: 14.29
  • Albedo: 0.065

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,680 days (4.60 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 17.90 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.93 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.60 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Ignace 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.