Key Facts

Overview

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

Rabe orbits the sun every 2,080 days (5.69 years), coming as close as 2.89 AU and reaching as far as 3.49 AU from the sun. Rabe is about 26.3 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Indianapolis.

The rotation of Rabe has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 5.88 hours.

No Close Approaches

Rabe's orbit is 1.90 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

Rabe's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Feb. 26, 1928. It was last officially observed on March 6, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 4,122 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 Rabe:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 3.188 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0939
  • Inclination: 2.0°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 133.36°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 28.28°
  • Mean Anomaly: 299.2°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 26.27000 km
  • Magnitude: 11.37
  • Albedo: 0.085

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 2,080 days (5.69 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 16.67 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.49 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.89 AU
  • Rotation Period: 5.88 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Rabe 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.