Key Facts

Overview

Salacia is a dwarf planet whose orbit extends beyond the orbit of Neptune. NASA JPL has not classified Salacia as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

Salacia orbits the sun every 101,000 days (276.52 years), coming as close as 38.07 AU and reaching as far as 46.59 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, Salacia is probably between 373.727 to 835.680 kilometers in diameter, making it one of the largest objects, very roughly comparable in size to Great Britain.

The rotation of Salacia has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 6.09 hours.

No Close Approaches

Salacia's orbit is 37.10 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

Salacia's orbit is determined by observations dating back to July 25, 1982. It was last officially observed on July 1, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 380 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 Salacia:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 42.33 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1006
  • Inclination: 23.93°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 280.15°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 312.35°
  • Mean Anomaly: 127.63°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~482.480 km
  • Magnitude: 4.26

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 101,000 days (276.52 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 4.56 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 46.59 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 38.07 AU
  • Rotation Period: 6.09 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Salacia 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.