Key Facts

Overview

Lemaitre is a mid-sized asteroid with an orbit that crosses the orbit of Mars. NASA JPL has not classified Lemaitre as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

Lemaitre orbits the sun every 1,350 days (3.70 years), coming as close as 1.56 AU and reaching as far as 3.23 AU from the sun. Lemaitre is about 7.9 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay.

The rotation of Lemaitre has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 11.40 hours.

Lemaitre's spectral type None (Tholen) / Sq (SMASSII) indicates that it is likely to contain and .

No Close Approaches

Lemaitre's orbit is 0.67 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

Lemaitre's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 25, 1948. It was last officially observed on May 9, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 3,579 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 Lemaitre:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.392 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.3485
  • Inclination: 21.5°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 261.12°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 116.39°
  • Mean Anomaly: 102.26°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 7.94900 km
  • Magnitude: 12.66
  • Albedo: 0.239
  • Spectral type (SMASS): Sq

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,350 days (3.70 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 19.28 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.23 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.56 AU
  • Rotation Period: 11.40 hours
  • Approx. Composition: and .

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Lemaitre 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.