Key Facts

Overview

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

Antarctica orbits the sun every 2,020 days (5.53 years), coming as close as 2.71 AU and reaching as far as 3.54 AU from the sun. Antarctica is about 23.2 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Indianapolis.

No Close Approaches

Antarctica's orbit is 1.70 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

Antarctica's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Jan. 29, 1933. It was last officially observed on June 21, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 3,798 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 Antarctica:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 3.125 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1321
  • Inclination: 2.69°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 110.84°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 146.39°
  • Mean Anomaly: 23.96°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 23.20900 km
  • Magnitude: 11.96
  • Albedo: 0.090

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 2,020 days (5.53 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 16.83 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.54 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.71 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Antarctica 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.