Key Facts

Overview

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

Vernadskij orbits the sun every 1,380 days (3.78 years), coming as close as 1.99 AU and reaching as far as 2.86 AU from the sun. Vernadskij is about 12.0 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Cleveland, Ohio.

The rotation of Vernadskij has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 7.92 hours.

Vernadskij's spectral type BFX (Tholen) / B (SMASSII) indicates that it is likely to contain hydrogen, nitrogen, ammonia, and iron.

No Close Approaches

Vernadskij's orbit is 0.98 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

Vernadskij's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 17, 1950. It was last officially observed on July 5, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 3,043 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 Vernadskij:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.428 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1798
  • Inclination: 2.47°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 357.14°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 348.73°
  • Mean Anomaly: 323.13°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 12.01400 km
  • Magnitude: 13.73
  • Albedo: 0.037
  • Spectral type (Tholen): BFX
  • Spectral type (SMASS): B

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,380 days (3.78 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 19.14 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.86 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.99 AU
  • Rotation Period: 7.92 hours
  • Approx. Composition: hydrogen, nitrogen, ammonia, and iron.

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Vernadskij 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.