Key Facts

Overview

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

Alkeste orbits the sun every 1,560 days (4.27 years), coming as close as 2.42 AU and reaching as far as 2.83 AU from the sun. Alkeste is about 88.6 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the U.S. state of Delaware.

The rotation of Alkeste has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 9.91 hours.

Alkeste's spectral type S (Tholen) / S (SMASSII) indicates that it is likely to contain and .

No Close Approaches

Alkeste's orbit is 1.41 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

Alkeste's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Aug. 24, 1872. It was last officially observed on March 28, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 4,428 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 Alkeste:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.629 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0782
  • Inclination: 2.96°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 187.91°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 61.99°
  • Mean Anomaly: 223.85°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 88.64800 km
  • Magnitude: 8.14
  • Albedo: 0.128
  • Spectral type (Tholen): S
  • Spectral type (SMASS): S

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,560 days (4.27 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 18.33 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.83 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.42 AU
  • Rotation Period: 9.91 hours
  • Approx. Composition: and .

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Alkeste 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.