Kaikloepfer

29641 Kaikloepfer (1998 VA26)

Space Reference » Main-belt Asteroids » Kaikloepfer

Key Facts

Overview

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

Kaikloepfer orbits the sun every 1,280 days (3.50 years), coming as close as 2.03 AU and reaching as far as 2.57 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, Kaikloepfer is probably between 1.454 to 3.251 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to Mount Everest.

No Close Approaches

Kaikloepfer's orbit is 1.04 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

Kaikloepfer's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 7, 1991. It was last officially observed on Nov. 22, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 1,076 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 Kaikloepfer:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.304 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1173
  • Inclination: 3.96°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 43.21°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 11.55°
  • Mean Anomaly: 29.47°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~1.877 km
  • Magnitude: 16.31

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,280 days (3.50 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 19.58 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.57 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.03 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of Kaikloepfer 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 Kaikloepfer 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.