Key Facts

Overview

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

Sutton orbits the sun every 1,340 days (3.67 years), coming as close as 1.97 AU and reaching as far as 2.78 AU from the sun. Sutton is about 7.0 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay.

The rotation of Sutton has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 23.87 hours.

No Close Approaches

Sutton's orbit is 0.96 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

Sutton's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 15, 1953. It was last officially observed on July 5, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 3,523 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 Sutton:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.373 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1712
  • Inclination: 4.34°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 345.08°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 8.44°
  • Mean Anomaly: 283.21°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 6.97900 km
  • Magnitude: 13.18
  • Albedo: 0.317

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,340 days (3.67 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 19.27 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.78 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.97 AU
  • Rotation Period: 23.87 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Sutton 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.