Key Facts

Overview

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

Santana orbits the sun every 1,760 days (4.82 years), coming as close as 2.65 AU and reaching as far as 3.07 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, Santana is probably between 6.991 to 15.633 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay.

The rotation of Santana has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 3.39 hours.

No Close Approaches

Santana's orbit is 1.65 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

Santana's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 8, 1954. It was last officially observed on July 3, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 3,383 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 Santana:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.857 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0733
  • Inclination: 3.09°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 72.92°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 317.21°
  • Mean Anomaly: 310.14°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~9.026 km
  • Magnitude: 12.9

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,760 days (4.82 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 17.66 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.07 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.65 AU
  • Rotation Period: 3.39 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Santana 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.