Key Facts

Overview

16359 (1978 VO4) is a mid-sized asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter in the main portion of the asteroid belt. NASA JPL has not classified 1978 VO4 as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

1978 VO4 orbits the sun every 1,370 days (3.75 years), coming as close as 2.03 AU and reaching as far as 2.79 AU from the sun. 1978 VO4 is about 7.5 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay.

No Close Approaches

1978 VO4's orbit is 1.02 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

1978 VO4's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 5, 1978. It was last officially observed on Nov. 22, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 2,177 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 1978 VO4:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.411 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1568
  • Inclination: 3.64°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 89.3°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 197.89°
  • Mean Anomaly: 115.51°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 7.47200 km
  • Magnitude: 14.73
  • Albedo: 0.035

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,370 days (3.75 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 19.15 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.79 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.03 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 16359 (1978 VO4) 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.