Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Jupiter Trojan
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. state of Rhode Island (47.82 km diameter)
  • Not a Near Earth Object
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

Alkimos is a large asteroid that shares Jupiter's orbit around the sun. NASA JPL has not classified Alkimos as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

Alkimos orbits the sun every 4,390 days (12.02 years), coming as close as 5.05 AU and reaching as far as 5.44 AU from the sun. Alkimos is about 47.8 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the U.S. state of Rhode Island.

The rotation of Alkimos has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 28.48 hours.

No Close Approaches

Alkimos's orbit is 4.06 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

Alkimos's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Feb. 24, 1990. It was last officially observed on April 17, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 2,775 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 Alkimos:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 5.243 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0376
  • Inclination: 9.5°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 298.91°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 162.41°
  • Mean Anomaly: 3.76°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 47.81900 km
  • Magnitude: 10.29
  • Albedo: 0.070

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 4,390 days (12.02 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 12.99 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 5.44 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 5.05 AU
  • Rotation Period: 28.48 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Alkimos 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.