16364 (1979 MA5)

Mid-sized Main-belt Asteroid

Space Reference » Main-belt Asteroids » 16364 (1979 MA5)

Key Facts

Overview

16364 (1979 MA5) is a mid-sized asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter in the main portion of the asteroid belt. NASA JPL has not classified 1979 MA5 as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

1979 MA5 orbits the sun every 1,880 days (5.15 years), coming as close as 2.67 AU and reaching as far as 3.28 AU from the sun. 1979 MA5 is about 6.9 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay.

The rotation of 1979 MA5 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 17.59 hours.

No Close Approaches

1979 MA5's orbit is 1.69 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

1979 MA5's orbit is determined by observations dating back to June 23, 1979. It was last officially observed on April 16, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 3,030 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 1979 MA5:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.979 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1022
  • Inclination: 8.53°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 259.63°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 133.0°
  • Mean Anomaly: 132.02°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 6.86900 km
  • Magnitude: 13.55
  • Albedo: 0.196

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,880 days (5.15 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 17.24 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.28 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.67 AU
  • Rotation Period: 17.59 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 16364 (1979 MA5) 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 1979 MA5 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.