Key Facts

Overview

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

Henan orbits the sun every 1,620 days (4.44 years), coming as close as 2.47 AU and reaching as far as 2.93 AU from the sun. Henan is about 13.4 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Cleveland, Ohio.

The rotation of Henan has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 24.00 hours.

Henan's spectral type None (Tholen) / L (SMASSII) indicates that it is likely to contain magnesium silicate, iron silicate, and aluminum.

No Close Approaches

Henan's orbit is 1.48 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

Henan's orbit is determined by observations dating back to March 24, 1949. It was last officially observed on March 5, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 4,002 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 Henan:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.698 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0846
  • Inclination: 3.83°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 118.07°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 292.92°
  • Mean Anomaly: 46.99°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 13.35600 km
  • Magnitude: 11.99
  • Albedo: 0.131
  • Spectral type (SMASS): L

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,620 days (4.44 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 18.12 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.93 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.47 AU
  • Rotation Period: 24.00 hours
  • Approx. Composition: magnesium silicate, iron silicate, and aluminum.

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Henan 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.