13468 (3378 T-3)

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Main-belt Asteroid
• Comparable in size to Mount Everest (2.38 km diameter)
• Not a Near Earth Object
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

13468 (3378 T-3) is a mid-sized asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter in the main portion of the asteroid belt. NASA JPL has not classified 3378 T-3 as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

3378 T-3 orbits the sun every 1,290 days (3.53 years), coming as close as 1.95 AU and reaching as far as 2.70 AU from the sun. 3378 T-3 is about 2.4 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to Mount Everest.

The rotation of 3378 T-3 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 128.11 hours.

No Close Approaches

3378 T-3's orbit is 0.96 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is a very 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

3378 T-3's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 7, 1977. It was last officially observed on July 3, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 2,035 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 3378 T-3:

• 261 Prymno (A886 UA)
• 326 Tamara (A892 FD)
• 345 Tercidina (A892 WB)

References

• JPL Small Body Database
• Mission Design
• Sky Finder Chart

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 13468 (3378 T-3) 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.

Size Rendering

The above comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of 3378 T-3 to create an approximate landscape rendering with Mount Everest in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.