Orthos is a mid-sized asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified Orthos as a "Near Earth Asteroid" due to its orbit's proximity to Earth, but it is not considered potentially hazardous because computer simulations have not indicated any imminent likelihood of future collision.
Orthos orbits the sun every 1,370 days (3.75 years), coming as close as 0.83 AU and reaching as far as 3.98 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, Orthos is probably between 3.346 to 7.482 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the island of Manhattan.
The rotation of Orthos has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 4.65 days.
Orthos's orbit is 0.09 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is an wide berth between this asteroid and Earth at all times.
Orthos has 4 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
|---|---|---|
| Sept. 20, 2032 | 14,205,830 | 20.186 |
| Sept. 11, 2088 | 15,881,905 | 19.092 |
| Sept. 1, 2103 | 25,854,076 | 18.602 |
| Sept. 2, 2144 | 24,721,401 | 18.894 |
Orthos's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 31, 1976. It was last officially observed on Feb. 16, 2020. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 1,407 observations used to determine its orbit.
The position of Orthos 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.