Key Facts

Overview

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

Vihuri orbits the sun every 1,410 days (3.86 years), coming as close as 2.25 AU and reaching as far as 2.69 AU from the sun. Vihuri is about 9.5 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay.

The rotation of Vihuri has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 19.50 hours.

No Close Approaches

Vihuri's orbit is 1.26 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

Vihuri's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Dec. 21, 1906. It was last officially observed on June 10, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 3,637 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 Vihuri:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.467 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0891
  • Inclination: 7.83°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 318.52°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 162.48°
  • Mean Anomaly: 54.71°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 9.52300 km
  • Magnitude: 12.29
  • Albedo: 0.126

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,410 days (3.86 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 19.03 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.69 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.25 AU
  • Rotation Period: 19.50 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Vihuri 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.