Key Facts

Overview

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

Eckert orbits the sun every 976 days (2.67 years), coming as close as 1.59 AU and reaching as far as 2.26 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, Eckert is probably between 4.640 to 10.376 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay.

The rotation of Eckert has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 375.00 hours.

No Close Approaches

Eckert's orbit is 0.69 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

Eckert's orbit is determined by observations dating back to July 15, 1950. It was last officially observed on Dec. 24, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 4,250 observations used to determine its orbit.

Scientists have been able to determine this object's shape:

View asteroid Eckert in 3D.

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 Eckert:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.926 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1727
  • Inclination: 19.09°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 273.72°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 108.97°
  • Mean Anomaly: 76.99°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~5.991 km
  • Magnitude: 13.79
  • Spectral type (Tholen): S

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 976 days (2.67 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 21.47 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.26 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.59 AU
  • Rotation Period: 375.00 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Eckert 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 Eckert 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.