Key Facts
- Categorized as a Main-belt Asteroid
- Comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay (6.63 km diameter)
- Not a Near Earth Object
- Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
- See orbit simulation
Overview
Capek is a mid-sized asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter in the main portion of the asteroid belt. NASA JPL has not classified Capek as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.
Capek orbits the sun every 1,480 days (4.05 years), coming as close as 1.85 AU and reaching as far as 3.23 AU from the sun. Capek is about 6.6 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay.
The rotation of Capek has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 156.21 hours.
Capek's spectral type C (Tholen) / None (SMASSII) indicates that it is likely to contain water, iron, nickel, cobalt, nitrogen, and ammonia.
No Close Approaches
Capek's orbit is 0.84 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
Capek's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 2, 1957. It was last officially observed on April 12, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 4,931 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 Capek:References
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or view a random objectOrbital Elements
- Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
- Semi-major axis: 2.54 AU
- Eccentricity: 0.2724
- Inclination: 8.27°
- Longitude of Ascending Node: 182.41°
- Argument of Periapsis: 164.48°
- Mean Anomaly: 113.44°
Physical Characteristics
- Diameter: 6.62800 km
- Magnitude: 13.08
- Albedo: 0.254
- Spectral type (Tholen): C
Derived Characteristics
- Orbit Period: 1,480 days (4.05 years)
- Avg. Orbit Speed: 18.67 km/s
- Aphelion Distance: 3.23 AU
- Perihelion Distance: 1.85 AU
- Rotation Period: 156.21 hours
- Approx. Composition: water, iron, nickel, cobalt, nitrogen, and ammonia.
Map Comparison
Orbit Simulation
Sky Map
The position of Capek 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.
Size Rendering
The above comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of Capek to create an approximate landscape rendering with Mount Everest in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.
