Key Facts

Overview

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

Demichele orbits the sun every 2,050 days (5.61 years), coming as close as 2.64 AU and reaching as far as 3.67 AU from the sun. Demichele is about 7.8 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay.

The rotation of Demichele has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 3.19 hours.

No Close Approaches

Demichele's orbit is 1.65 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

Demichele's orbit is determined by observations dating back to March 7, 1981. It was last officially observed on June 22, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 2,356 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 Demichele:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 3.158 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.163
  • Inclination: 11.54°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 358.18°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 160.21°
  • Mean Anomaly: 226.11°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 7.80300 km
  • Magnitude: 13.37
  • Albedo: 0.183

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 2,050 days (5.61 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 16.76 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.67 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.64 AU
  • Rotation Period: 3.19 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Demichele 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.