Key Facts

Overview

Bus is a large asteroid that orbits between Mars and Jupiter in the outer reaches of the main asteroid belt. NASA JPL has not classified Bus as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

Bus orbits the sun every 2,880 days (7.89 years), coming as close as 3.35 AU and reaching as far as 4.58 AU from the sun. Bus is about 31.1 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Dallas.

The rotation of Bus has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 6.62 hours.

Bus's spectral type None (Tholen) / T (SMASSII) indicates that it is likely to contain .

No Close Approaches

Bus's orbit is 2.35 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

Bus's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 26, 1982. It was last officially observed on April 12, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 3,465 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 Bus:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 3.966 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1542
  • Inclination: 4.41°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 42.77°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 302.56°
  • Mean Anomaly: 100.13°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 31.10400 km
  • Magnitude: 11.31
  • Albedo: 0.073
  • Spectral type (SMASS): T

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 2,880 days (7.89 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 14.98 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 4.58 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 3.35 AU
  • Rotation Period: 6.62 hours
  • Approx. Composition: .

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Bus 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.