Key Facts
- Categorized as a Main-belt Asteroid
- Comparable in size to Mount Everest
- Not a Near Earth Object
- Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
- See orbit simulation
Overview
La Canada is a mid-sized asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter in the main portion of the asteroid belt. NASA JPL has not classified La Canada as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.
La Canada orbits the sun every 1,670 days (4.57 years), coming as close as 2.13 AU and reaching as far as 3.38 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, La Canada is probably between 1.814 to 4.055 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to Mount Everest.
No Close Approaches
La Canada's orbit is 1.16 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
La Canada's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 19, 1996. It was last officially observed on May 17, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 596 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 La Canada:References
Search
or view a random objectOrbital Elements
- Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
- Semi-major axis: 2.757 AU
- Eccentricity: 0.2276
- Inclination: 12.27°
- Longitude of Ascending Node: 225.41°
- Argument of Periapsis: 101.26°
- Mean Anomaly: 289.57°
Physical Characteristics
- Diameter: ~2.341 km
- Magnitude: 15.83
Derived Characteristics
- Orbit Period: 1,670 days (4.57 years)
- Avg. Orbit Speed: 17.96 km/s
- Aphelion Distance: 3.38 AU
- Perihelion Distance: 2.13 AU
Map Comparison
Orbit Simulation
Sky Map
The position of La Canada 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 La Canada 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.
