Key Facts

Overview

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

Pemba orbits the sun every 1,490 days (4.08 years), coming as close as 1.70 AU and reaching as far as 3.41 AU from the sun. Pemba is about 9.9 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Boston.

The rotation of Pemba has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 20.00 hours.

No Close Approaches

Pemba's orbit is 0.71 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

Pemba's orbit is determined by observations dating back to July 2, 1937. It was last officially observed on July 4, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 3,386 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 Pemba:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.556 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.334
  • Inclination: 7.75°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 47.66°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 298.0°
  • Mean Anomaly: 17.96°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 9.87400 km
  • Magnitude: 12.4
  • Albedo: 0.196

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,490 days (4.08 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 18.66 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.41 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.70 AU
  • Rotation Period: 20.00 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Pemba 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.