Key Facts

Overview

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

McCrosky orbits the sun every 1,600 days (4.38 years), coming as close as 2.47 AU and reaching as far as 2.88 AU from the sun. McCrosky is about 14.8 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Baltimore.

No Close Approaches

McCrosky's orbit is 1.46 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

McCrosky's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Jan. 13, 1940. It was last officially observed on May 30, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 4,001 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 McCrosky:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.675 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0762
  • Inclination: 4.85°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 116.84°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 187.47°
  • Mean Anomaly: 231.04°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 14.84900 km
  • Magnitude: 12.12
  • Albedo: 0.139

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,600 days (4.38 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 18.19 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.88 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.47 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of McCrosky 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.