Key Facts

Overview

Siegfried is a large asteroid that orbits between Mars and Jupiter in the outer reaches of the main asteroid belt. NASA JPL has not classified Siegfried as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

Siegfried orbits the sun every 2,140 days (5.86 years), coming as close as 3.23 AU and reaching as far as 3.27 AU from the sun. Siegfried is about 18.1 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Philadelphia.

No Close Approaches

Siegfried's orbit is 2.24 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

Siegfried's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Dec. 30, 1986. It was last officially observed on June 1, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 2,674 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 Siegfried:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 3.248 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0065
  • Inclination: 8.94°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 57.91°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 316.17°
  • Mean Anomaly: 179.94°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 18.10200 km
  • Magnitude: 12.95
  • Albedo: 0.037

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 2,140 days (5.86 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 16.51 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.27 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 3.23 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Siegfried 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.