Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Jupiter Trojan
  • Comparable in size to the city of Cleveland, Ohio (13.98 km diameter)
  • Not a Near Earth Object
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

Tros is a large asteroid that shares Jupiter's orbit around the sun. NASA JPL has not classified Tros as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

Tros orbits the sun every 4,350 days (11.91 years), coming as close as 4.67 AU and reaching as far as 5.76 AU from the sun. Tros is about 14.0 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Cleveland, Ohio.

No Close Approaches

Tros's orbit is 3.66 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

Tros's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 11, 1977. It was last officially observed on May 26, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 836 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 Tros:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 5.211 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1047
  • Inclination: 9.54°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 171.16°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 169.62°
  • Mean Anomaly: 3.61°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 13.97600 km
  • Magnitude: 12.58
  • Albedo: 0.099

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 4,350 days (11.91 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 13.03 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 5.76 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 4.67 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Tros 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.