Elowitz

13652 Elowitz (1997 BV8)

Space Reference » Main-belt Asteroids » Elowitz

Key Facts

Overview

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

Elowitz orbits the sun every 1,200 days (3.29 years), coming as close as 1.80 AU and reaching as far as 2.64 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, Elowitz is probably between 2.170 to 4.853 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to Mount Everest.

No Close Approaches

Elowitz's orbit is 0.79 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

Elowitz's orbit is determined by observations dating back to July 27, 1995. It was last officially observed on May 3, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 1,826 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 Elowitz:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.216 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1896
  • Inclination: 6.04°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 140.28°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 194.51°
  • Mean Anomaly: 179.79°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~2.802 km
  • Magnitude: 15.44

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,200 days (3.29 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 20.09 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.64 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.80 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of Elowitz 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 Elowitz 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.