Van Ness

14185 Van Ness (1998 WK32)

Space Reference » Main-belt Asteroids » Van Ness

Key Facts

Overview

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

Van Ness orbits the sun every 1,500 days (4.11 years), coming as close as 2.06 AU and reaching as far as 3.07 AU from the sun. Van Ness is about 5.4 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay.

No Close Approaches

Van Ness's orbit is 1.06 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

Van Ness's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 20, 1977. It was last officially observed on March 7, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 3,573 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 Van Ness:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.565 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1952
  • Inclination: 7.22°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 18.46°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 326.47°
  • Mean Anomaly: 101.41°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 5.38800 km
  • Magnitude: 13.74
  • Albedo: 0.266

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,500 days (4.11 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 18.60 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.07 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.06 AU

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

⧉

Sky Map

The position of Van Ness 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 Van Ness 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.