Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Jupiter Trojan
  • Comparable in size to the city of New York (33.47 km diameter)
  • Not a Near Earth Object
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

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

Demoleon orbits the sun every 4,440 days (12.16 years), coming as close as 4.79 AU and reaching as far as 5.77 AU from the sun. Demoleon is about 33.5 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of New York.

The rotation of Demoleon has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 14.43 hours.

No Close Approaches

Demoleon's orbit is 3.84 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

Demoleon's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 4, 1989. It was last officially observed on June 27, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 2,801 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 Demoleon:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 5.284 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0928
  • Inclination: 17.21°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 215.55°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 90.59°
  • Mean Anomaly: 11.19°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 33.47400 km
  • Magnitude: 10.91
  • Albedo: 0.083

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 4,440 days (12.16 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 12.95 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 5.77 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 4.79 AU
  • Rotation Period: 14.43 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Demoleon 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.