Key Facts

Overview

19906 (4138 T-3) is a large asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter in the main portion of the asteroid belt. NASA JPL has not classified 4138 T-3 as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

4138 T-3 orbits the sun every 2,040 days (5.59 years), coming as close as 2.61 AU and reaching as far as 3.68 AU from the sun. 4138 T-3 is about 11.7 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Cleveland, Ohio.

The rotation of 4138 T-3 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 25.96 hours.

No Close Approaches

4138 T-3's orbit is 1.62 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

4138 T-3's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 7, 1977. It was last officially observed on Feb. 13, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 1,816 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 4138 T-3:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 3.148 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1696
  • Inclination: 19.16°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 34.74°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 8.32°
  • Mean Anomaly: 67.96°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 11.72400 km
  • Magnitude: 13.61
  • Albedo: 0.047

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 2,040 days (5.59 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 16.79 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.68 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.61 AU
  • Rotation Period: 25.96 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 19906 (4138 T-3) 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.