Key Facts

Overview

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

Kampala orbits the sun every 1,470 days (4.02 years), coming as close as 2.10 AU and reaching as far as 2.97 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, Kampala is probably between 7.121 to 15.924 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay.

Kampala's spectral type None (Tholen) / S (SMASSII) indicates that it is likely to contain and .

No Close Approaches

Kampala's orbit is 1.09 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

Kampala's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 3, 1935. It was last officially observed on May 15, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 2,749 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 Kampala:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.533 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1711
  • Inclination: 5.83°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 23.16°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 179.4°
  • Mean Anomaly: 337.72°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~9.193 km
  • Magnitude: 12.86
  • Spectral type (SMASS): S

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,470 days (4.02 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 18.75 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.97 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.10 AU
  • Approx. Composition: and .

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Kampala 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.