Key Facts

Overview

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

Kienle orbits the sun every 1,580 days (4.33 years), coming as close as 1.82 AU and reaching as far as 3.48 AU from the sun. Kienle is about 7.3 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay.

The rotation of Kienle has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 29.25 hours.

No Close Approaches

Kienle's orbit is 0.82 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

Kienle's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 11, 1942. It was last officially observed on June 23, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 2,946 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 Kienle:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.651 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.3131
  • Inclination: 4.56°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 158.63°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 206.39°
  • Mean Anomaly: 273.15°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 7.34900 km
  • Magnitude: 13.12
  • Albedo: 0.203

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,580 days (4.33 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 18.25 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.48 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.82 AU
  • Rotation Period: 29.25 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Kienle 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.