Key Facts

Overview

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

De Sitter orbits the sun every 2,060 days (5.64 years), coming as close as 2.66 AU and reaching as far as 3.67 AU from the sun. De Sitter is about 29.7 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Indianapolis.

The rotation of De Sitter has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 11.29 hours.

No Close Approaches

De Sitter'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

De Sitter's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 14, 1933. It was last officially observed on July 4, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 4,774 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 De Sitter:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 3.166 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.159
  • Inclination: 0.62°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 6.36°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 294.61°
  • Mean Anomaly: 283.3°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 29.66100 km
  • Magnitude: 11.19
  • Albedo: 0.088

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 2,060 days (5.64 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 16.72 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.67 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.66 AU
  • Rotation Period: 11.29 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of De Sitter 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.