Key Facts

Overview

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

Tamara orbits the sun every 1,290 days (3.53 years), coming as close as 1.88 AU and reaching as far as 2.76 AU from the sun. Tamara is about 93.0 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the U.S. state of Delaware.

The rotation of Tamara has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 14.45 hours.

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

No Close Approaches

Tamara's orbit is 0.95 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is a very 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

Tamara's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 20, 1893. It was last officially observed on May 25, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 6,185 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 Tamara:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.317 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1895
  • Inclination: 23.72°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 32.17°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 238.53°
  • Mean Anomaly: 32.59°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 93.00000 km
  • Magnitude: 9.44
  • Albedo: 0.0368
  • Spectral type (Tholen): C

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,290 days (3.53 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 19.54 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.76 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.88 AU
  • Rotation Period: 14.45 hours
  • Approx. Composition: water, iron, nickel, cobalt, nitrogen, and ammonia.

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Tamara 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.