16304 (6704 P-L)

Mid-sized Main-belt Asteroid

Space Reference » Main-belt Asteroids » 16304 (6704 P-L)

Key Facts

Overview

16304 (6704 P-L) is a mid-sized asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter in the main portion of the asteroid belt. NASA JPL has not classified 6704 P-L as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

6704 P-L orbits the sun every 1,350 days (3.70 years), coming as close as 1.90 AU and reaching as far as 2.87 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 6704 P-L is probably between 1.961 to 4.386 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to Mount Everest.

No Close Approaches

6704 P-L's orbit is 0.88 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

6704 P-L's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 24, 1960. It was last officially observed on July 30, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 1,407 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 6704 P-L:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.385 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.2032
  • Inclination: 1.27°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 132.12°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 153.36°
  • Mean Anomaly: 93.74°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~2.532 km
  • Magnitude: 15.66

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,350 days (3.70 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 19.22 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.87 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.90 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 16304 (6704 P-L) 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 6704 P-L 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.