Key Facts

Overview

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

Iclea orbits the sun every 2,080 days (5.69 years), coming as close as 3.12 AU and reaching as far as 3.27 AU from the sun. Iclea is about 94.3 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the U.S. state of Delaware.

The rotation of Iclea has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 15.37 hours.

Iclea's spectral type CX (Tholen) / Ch (SMASSII) indicates that it is likely to contain water, iron, nickel, cobalt, nitrogen, and ammonia.

No Close Approaches

Iclea's orbit is 2.11 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

Iclea's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Feb. 18, 1898. It was last officially observed on May 15, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 4,530 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 Iclea:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 3.193 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0239
  • Inclination: 17.94°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 148.93°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 210.45°
  • Mean Anomaly: 141.27°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 94.30000 km
  • Magnitude: 9.09
  • Albedo: 0.0508
  • Spectral type (Tholen): CX
  • Spectral type (SMASS): Ch

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 2,080 days (5.69 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 16.70 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.27 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 3.12 AU
  • Rotation Period: 15.37 hours
  • Approx. Composition: water, iron, nickel, cobalt, nitrogen, and ammonia.

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Iclea 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.