Zeitlin-Trinkle

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Main-belt Asteroid
• Comparable in size to Mount Everest
• Not a Near Earth Object
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

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

Zeitlin-Trinkle orbits the sun every 1,290 days (3.53 years), coming as close as 1.82 AU and reaching as far as 2.82 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, Zeitlin-Trinkle is probably between 1.814 to 4.055 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to Mount Everest.

No Close Approaches

Zeitlin-Trinkle's orbit is 0.81 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

Zeitlin-Trinkle's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Jan. 12, 1996. It was last officially observed on Aug. 4, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 1,108 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 Zeitlin-Trinkle:

• 261 Prymno (A886 UA)
• 326 Tamara (A892 FD)
• 345 Tercidina (A892 WB)

References

• JPL Small Body Database
• Mission Design
• Sky Finder Chart

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Zeitlin-Trinkle 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 Zeitlin-Trinkle 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.