Key Facts

Overview

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

Mayall orbits the sun every 947 days (2.59 years), coming as close as 1.68 AU and reaching as far as 2.10 AU from the sun. Mayall is about 8.3 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay.

The rotation of Mayall has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 2.57 hours.

Mayall's spectral type S (Tholen) / S (SMASSII) indicates that it is likely to contain and .

No Close Approaches

Mayall's orbit is 0.69 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

Mayall's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 3, 1975. It was last officially observed on May 15, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 3,253 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 Mayall:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.887 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1111
  • Inclination: 33.99°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 306.02°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 38.5°
  • Mean Anomaly: 194.49°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 8.25200 km
  • Magnitude: 12.69
  • Albedo: 0.244
  • Spectral type (Tholen): S
  • Spectral type (SMASS): S

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 947 days (2.59 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 21.68 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.10 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.68 AU
  • Rotation Period: 2.57 hours
  • Approx. Composition: and .

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Mayall 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.