Setouchi

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Mars-crossing Asteroid
• Comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay
• Not a Near Earth Object
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

Setouchi is a mid-sized asteroid with an orbit that crosses the orbit of Mars. NASA JPL has not classified Setouchi as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

Setouchi orbits the sun every 1,140 days (3.12 years), coming as close as 1.54 AU and reaching as far as 2.74 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, Setouchi is probably between 4.493 to 10.047 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay.

No Close Approaches

Setouchi's orbit is 0.66 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

Setouchi's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Dec. 17, 1979. It was last officially observed on Jan. 3, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 2,350 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 Setouchi:

• 1917 Cuyo (1968 AA)
• 2552 Remek (1978 SP)
• 3270 Dudley (1982 DA)

References

• JPL Small Body Database
• Mission Design
• Sky Finder Chart

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Setouchi 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.

Size Rendering

The above comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of Setouchi to create an approximate landscape rendering with Mount Everest in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.