Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Jupiter Trojan
  • Comparable in size to the city of Philadelphia (18.41 km diameter)
  • Not a Near Earth Object
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

30792 (1988 RP12) is a large asteroid that shares Jupiter's orbit around the sun. NASA JPL has not classified 1988 RP12 as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

1988 RP12 orbits the sun every 4,360 days (11.94 years), coming as close as 5.04 AU and reaching as far as 5.41 AU from the sun. 1988 RP12 is about 18.4 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Philadelphia.

No Close Approaches

1988 RP12's orbit is 4.04 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

1988 RP12's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 14, 1988. It was last officially observed on Sept. 14, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 939 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 1988 RP12:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 5.226 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0348
  • Inclination: 4.36°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 157.46°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 64.88°
  • Mean Anomaly: 106.14°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 18.40700 km
  • Magnitude: 12.48
  • Albedo: 0.109

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 4,360 days (11.94 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 13.04 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 5.41 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 5.04 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 30792 (1988 RP12) 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.