Petach

23011 Petach (1999 VG163)

Space Reference » Main-belt Asteroids » Petach

Key Facts

Overview

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

Petach orbits the sun every 1,340 days (3.67 years), coming as close as 1.98 AU and reaching as far as 2.79 AU from the sun. Petach is about 6.2 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay.

No Close Approaches

Petach's orbit is 0.98 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

Petach's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 26, 1995. It was last officially observed on June 8, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 1,847 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 Petach:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.382 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1697
  • Inclination: 5.55°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 35.15°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 160.58°
  • Mean Anomaly: 27.6°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 6.19100 km
  • Magnitude: 15.37
  • Albedo: 0.051

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,340 days (3.67 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 19.34 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.79 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.98 AU

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

⧉

Sky Map

The position of Petach 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 Petach 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.