Key Facts

Overview

16461 (1990 BO) is a large asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter in the main portion of the asteroid belt. NASA JPL has not classified 1990 BO as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

1990 BO orbits the sun every 2,080 days (5.69 years), coming as close as 2.87 AU and reaching as far as 3.50 AU from the sun. 1990 BO is about 27.7 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Indianapolis.

The rotation of 1990 BO has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 21.55 hours.

No Close Approaches

1990 BO's orbit is 1.92 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

1990 BO's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 18, 1988. It was last officially observed on March 11, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 3,542 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 1990 BO:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 3.186 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0997
  • Inclination: 15.66°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 304.64°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 82.84°
  • Mean Anomaly: 62.63°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 27.71300 km
  • Magnitude: 12.07
  • Albedo: 0.033

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 2,080 days (5.69 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 16.66 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.50 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.87 AU
  • Rotation Period: 21.55 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 16461 (1990 BO) 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.