Key Facts

Overview

Mette is a large asteroid with an orbit that crosses the orbit of Mars. NASA JPL has not classified Mette as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

Mette orbits the sun every 922 days (2.52 years), coming as close as 1.67 AU and reaching as far as 2.04 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, Mette is probably between 7.990 to 17.867 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the city of Boston.

The rotation of Mette has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 2.98 hours.

No Close Approaches

Mette's orbit is 0.72 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is a very 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

Mette's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Feb. 23, 1955. It was last officially observed on June 28, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 4,395 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 Mette:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.854 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1016
  • Inclination: 22.89°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 132.99°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 313.12°
  • Mean Anomaly: 101.61°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~10.315 km
  • Magnitude: 12.61
  • Spectral type (Tholen): S

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 922 days (2.52 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 21.88 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.04 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.67 AU
  • Rotation Period: 2.98 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Mette 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.