Key Facts

Overview

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

Cortusa orbits the sun every 2,070 days (5.67 years), coming as close as 2.73 AU and reaching as far as 3.62 AU from the sun. Cortusa is about 36.4 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Houston.

The rotation of Cortusa has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 25.16 hours.

No Close Approaches

Cortusa's orbit is 1.72 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

Cortusa's orbit is determined by observations dating back to July 22, 1930. It was last officially observed on March 7, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 4,384 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 Cortusa:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 3.176 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1408
  • Inclination: 10.37°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 260.69°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 340.57°
  • Mean Anomaly: 197.23°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 36.36700 km
  • Magnitude: 10.34
  • Albedo: 0.072

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 2,070 days (5.67 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 16.69 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.62 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.73 AU
  • Rotation Period: 25.16 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Cortusa 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.