Key Facts

Overview

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

Bowen orbits the sun every 1,690 days (4.63 years), coming as close as 2.51 AU and reaching as far as 3.05 AU from the sun. Bowen is about 9.4 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay.

The rotation of Bowen has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 3.02 hours.

Bowen's spectral type None (Tholen) / Sq (SMASSII) indicates that it is likely to contain and .

No Close Approaches

Bowen's orbit is 1.52 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

Bowen's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 31, 1953. It was last officially observed on Jan. 21, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 3,705 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 Bowen:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.78 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0976
  • Inclination: 3.34°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 183.1°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 312.75°
  • Mean Anomaly: 291.91°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 9.36500 km
  • Magnitude: 12.3
  • Albedo: 0.319
  • Spectral type (SMASS): Sq

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,690 days (4.63 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 17.90 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.05 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.51 AU
  • Rotation Period: 3.02 hours
  • Approx. Composition: and .

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Bowen 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.