Key Facts
- Categorized as a Main-belt Asteroid
- Comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay (6.05 km diameter)
- Not a Near Earth Object
- Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
- See orbit simulation
Overview
Barentsen is a mid-sized asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter in the main portion of the asteroid belt. NASA JPL has not classified Barentsen as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.
Barentsen orbits the sun every 1,360 days (3.72 years), coming as close as 1.92 AU and reaching as far as 2.88 AU from the sun. Barentsen is about 6.1 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay.
The rotation of Barentsen has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 40.42 hours.
No Close Approaches
Barentsen's orbit is 0.94 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
Barentsen's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Jan. 18, 1982. It was last officially observed on June 30, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 2,837 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 Barentsen:References
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or view a random objectOrbital Elements
- Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
- Semi-major axis: 2.401 AU
- Eccentricity: 0.1997
- Inclination: 27.13°
- Longitude of Ascending Node: 101.68°
- Argument of Periapsis: 351.6°
- Mean Anomaly: 90.91°
Physical Characteristics
- Diameter: 6.05300 km
- Magnitude: 13.28
- Albedo: 0.237
Derived Characteristics
- Orbit Period: 1,360 days (3.72 years)
- Avg. Orbit Speed: 19.21 km/s
- Aphelion Distance: 2.88 AU
- Perihelion Distance: 1.92 AU
- Rotation Period: 40.42 hours
Map Comparison
Orbit Simulation
Sky Map
The position of Barentsen 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 Barentsen 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.
