Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Jupiter Trojan
  • Comparable in size to the city of Indianapolis (27.83 km diameter)
  • Not a Near Earth Object
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

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

Astyanax orbits the sun every 4,360 days (11.94 years), coming as close as 5.05 AU and reaching as far as 5.41 AU from the sun. Astyanax is about 27.8 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Indianapolis.

The rotation of Astyanax has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 6.52 hours.

No Close Approaches

Astyanax's orbit is 4.03 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

Astyanax's orbit is determined by observations dating back to March 24, 1971. It was last officially observed on June 26, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 2,345 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 Astyanax:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 5.226 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0344
  • Inclination: 8.61°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 145.77°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 167.07°
  • Mean Anomaly: 346.85°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 27.82800 km
  • Magnitude: 11.28
  • Albedo: 0.076

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 4,360 days (11.94 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 13.04 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 5.41 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 5.05 AU
  • Rotation Period: 6.52 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Astyanax 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.