Key Facts

Overview

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

Garuda orbits the sun every 1,950 days (5.34 years), coming as close as 2.89 AU and reaching as far as 3.22 AU from the sun. Garuda is about 40.1 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Houston.

The rotation of Garuda has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 29.76 hours.

No Close Approaches

Garuda's orbit is 1.88 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

Garuda's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 23, 1954. It was last officially observed on July 4, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 4,065 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 Garuda:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 3.052 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0538
  • Inclination: 7.71°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 251.4°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 343.71°
  • Mean Anomaly: 141.11°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 40.13900 km
  • Magnitude: 11.27
  • Albedo: 0.048

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,950 days (5.34 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 17.03 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.22 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.89 AU
  • Rotation Period: 29.76 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Garuda 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.