Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Jupiter Trojan
  • Comparable in size to the city of Indianapolis (25.42 km diameter)
  • Not a Near Earth Object
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

13372 (1998 VU6) is a large asteroid that shares Jupiter's orbit around the sun. NASA JPL has not classified 1998 VU6 as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

1998 VU6 orbits the sun every 4,390 days (12.02 years), coming as close as 4.99 AU and reaching as far as 5.50 AU from the sun. 1998 VU6 is about 25.4 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Indianapolis.

The rotation of 1998 VU6 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 20.18 hours.

No Close Approaches

1998 VU6's orbit is 4.00 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

1998 VU6's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 15, 1996. It was last officially observed on March 18, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 2,259 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 1998 VU6:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 5.244 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0485
  • Inclination: 7.3°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 96.69°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 305.5°
  • Mean Anomaly: 57.1°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 25.42000 km
  • Magnitude: 11.41
  • Albedo: 0.109

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 4,390 days (12.02 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 13.00 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 5.50 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 4.99 AU
  • Rotation Period: 20.18 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 13372 (1998 VU6) 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.