Key Facts

Overview

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

Vala orbits the sun every 1,380 days (3.78 years), coming as close as 2.26 AU and reaching as far as 2.60 AU from the sun. Vala is about 31.3 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Dallas.

The rotation of Vala has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 5.18 hours.

Vala's spectral type SU (Tholen) / Xc (SMASSII) indicates that it is likely to contain iron, nickel, cobalt, and platinum.

No Close Approaches

Vala's orbit is 1.25 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

Vala's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 30, 1873. It was last officially observed on March 6, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 6,194 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 Vala:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.431 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0691
  • Inclination: 4.96°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 65.56°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 161.72°
  • Mean Anomaly: 243.87°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 31.33700 km
  • Magnitude: 10.02
  • Albedo: 0.246
  • Spectral type (Tholen): SU
  • Spectral type (SMASS): Xc

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,380 days (3.78 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 19.16 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.60 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.26 AU
  • Rotation Period: 5.18 hours
  • Approx. Composition: iron, nickel, cobalt, and platinum.

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Vala 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.