Key Facts

Overview

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

Weissman orbits the sun every 1,590 days (4.35 years), coming as close as 2.18 AU and reaching as far as 3.15 AU from the sun. Weissman is about 19.0 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Philadelphia.

The rotation of Weissman has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 6.11 hours.

Weissman's spectral type None (Tholen) / Cgh (SMASSII) indicates that it is likely to contain water, iron, nickel, cobalt, nitrogen, and ammonia.

No Close Approaches

Weissman's orbit is 1.23 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

Weissman's orbit is determined by observations dating back to March 22, 1955. It was last officially observed on July 5, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 3,396 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 Weissman:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.666 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1819
  • Inclination: 16.41°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 111.62°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 313.1°
  • Mean Anomaly: 323.18°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 18.98400 km
  • Magnitude: 11.67
  • Albedo: 0.132
  • Spectral type (SMASS): Cgh

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,590 days (4.35 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 18.24 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.15 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.18 AU
  • Rotation Period: 6.11 hours
  • Approx. Composition: water, iron, nickel, cobalt, nitrogen, and ammonia.

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Weissman 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.