Elbrus

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Outer Main-belt Asteroid
• Comparable in size to Mount Everest
• Not a Near Earth Object
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

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

Elbrus orbits the sun every 2,140 days (5.86 years), coming as close as 2.31 AU and reaching as far as 4.19 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, Elbrus is probably between 1.522 to 3.404 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to Mount Everest.

No Close Approaches

Elbrus's orbit is 1.29 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

Elbrus's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 19, 1973. It was last officially observed on March 19, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 263 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 Elbrus:

• 745 Mauritia (A913 EH)
• 842 Kerstin (A916 TB)
• 1901 Moravia (1972 AD)

References

• JPL Small Body Database
• Mission Design
• Sky Finder Chart

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Elbrus 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 Elbrus 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.