Key Facts

Overview

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

Katharina orbits the sun every 1,910 days (5.23 years), coming as close as 2.66 AU and reaching as far as 3.36 AU from the sun. Katharina is about 23.4 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Indianapolis.

The rotation of Katharina has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 6.89 hours.

No Close Approaches

Katharina's orbit is 1.67 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

Katharina's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 7, 1907. It was last officially observed on April 1, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 4,786 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 Katharina:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 3.01 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1161
  • Inclination: 9.39°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 219.76°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 148.41°
  • Mean Anomaly: 87.94°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 23.36200 km
  • Magnitude: 10.84
  • Albedo: 0.155

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,910 days (5.23 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 17.14 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.36 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.66 AU
  • Rotation Period: 6.89 hours

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Katharina 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.