Key Facts

Overview

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

Mandragora orbits the sun every 1,940 days (5.31 years), coming as close as 2.44 AU and reaching as far as 3.64 AU from the sun. Mandragora is about 9.9 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Boston.

The rotation of Mandragora has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 28.48 hours.

No Close Approaches

Mandragora's orbit is 1.43 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

Mandragora's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Feb. 12, 1985. It was last officially observed on June 17, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 2,122 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 Mandragora:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 3.039 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1975
  • Inclination: 0.57°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 280.61°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 283.8°
  • Mean Anomaly: 56.35°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 9.86400 km
  • Magnitude: 14.13
  • Albedo: 0.046

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,940 days (5.31 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 17.04 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.64 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.44 AU
  • Rotation Period: 28.48 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Mandragora 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.