Key Facts
- Categorized as a Main-belt Asteroid
- Comparable in size to the island of Manhattan
- Not a Near Earth Object
- Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
- See orbit simulation
Overview
Gunnels is a mid-sized asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter in the main portion of the asteroid belt. NASA JPL has not classified Gunnels as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.
Gunnels orbits the sun every 1,410 days (3.86 years), coming as close as 2.02 AU and reaching as far as 2.90 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, Gunnels is probably between 2.646 to 5.916 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the island of Manhattan.
The rotation of Gunnels has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 3.28 hours.
No Close Approaches
Gunnels's orbit is 1.03 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
Gunnels's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 19, 1982. It was last officially observed on May 14, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 1,778 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 Gunnels:References
Search
or view a random objectOrbital Elements
- Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
- Semi-major axis: 2.462 AU
- Eccentricity: 0.179
- Inclination: 2.33°
- Longitude of Ascending Node: 205.25°
- Argument of Periapsis: 183.32°
- Mean Anomaly: 200.74°
Physical Characteristics
- Diameter: ~3.416 km
- Magnitude: 15.01
Derived Characteristics
- Orbit Period: 1,410 days (3.86 years)
- Avg. Orbit Speed: 19.00 km/s
- Aphelion Distance: 2.90 AU
- Perihelion Distance: 2.02 AU
- Rotation Period: 3.28 hours
Map Comparison
Orbit Simulation
Sky Map
The position of Gunnels 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.
Size Rendering
The above comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of Gunnels to create an approximate landscape rendering with Mount Everest in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.
