Key Facts

Overview

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

Maillen orbits the sun every 2,030 days (5.56 years), coming as close as 2.75 AU and reaching as far as 3.53 AU from the sun. Maillen is about 14.5 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Cleveland, Ohio.

The rotation of Maillen has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 11.37 hours.

No Close Approaches

Maillen's orbit is 1.73 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

Maillen's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 1, 1953. It was last officially observed on May 12, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 3,291 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 Maillen:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 3.141 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1247
  • Inclination: 1.24°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 27.79°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 232.94°
  • Mean Anomaly: 247.35°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 14.54800 km
  • Magnitude: 12.9
  • Albedo: 0.076

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 2,030 days (5.56 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 16.83 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.53 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.75 AU
  • Rotation Period: 11.37 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Maillen 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.