Key Facts

Overview

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

Penza orbits the sun every 1,990 days (5.45 years), coming as close as 2.49 AU and reaching as far as 3.71 AU from the sun. Penza is about 10.7 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Boston.

No Close Approaches

Penza's orbit is 1.48 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

Penza's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 3, 1956. It was last officially observed on March 24, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 3,156 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 Penza:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 3.096 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1973
  • Inclination: 8.23°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 177.49°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 189.04°
  • Mean Anomaly: 88.97°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 10.70700 km
  • Magnitude: 12.97
  • Albedo: 0.136

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,990 days (5.45 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 16.93 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.71 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.49 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Penza 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.