Key Facts

Overview

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

Elba orbits the sun every 1,650 days (4.52 years), coming as close as 2.35 AU and reaching as far as 3.12 AU from the sun. Elba is about 15.9 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Philadelphia.

The rotation of Elba has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 9.78 hours.

Elba's spectral type None (Tholen) / Xc (SMASSII) indicates that it is likely to contain iron, nickel, cobalt, and platinum.

No Close Approaches

Elba's orbit is 1.34 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

Elba's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 19, 1979. It was last officially observed on June 12, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 4,179 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 Elba:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.738 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1405
  • Inclination: 8.92°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 142.57°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 191.25°
  • Mean Anomaly: 223.54°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 15.93800 km
  • Magnitude: 12.0
  • Albedo: 0.159
  • Spectral type (SMASS): Xc

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,650 days (4.52 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 18.05 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.12 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.35 AU
  • Rotation Period: 9.78 hours
  • Approx. Composition: iron, nickel, cobalt, and platinum.

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Elba 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.