Key Facts

Overview

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

Alvema orbits the sun every 1,700 days (4.65 years), coming as close as 1.91 AU and reaching as far as 3.66 AU from the sun. Alvema 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 Alvema has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 8.17 hours.

Alvema's spectral type None (Tholen) / Xc (SMASSII) indicates that it is likely to contain iron, nickel, cobalt, and platinum.

No Close Approaches

Alvema's orbit is 0.93 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

Alvema's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 21, 1930. It was last officially observed on July 4, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 2,377 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 Alvema:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.785 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.3137
  • Inclination: 6.83°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 270.95°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 138.09°
  • Mean Anomaly: 344.88°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 14.53100 km
  • Magnitude: 13.24
  • Albedo: 0.047
  • Spectral type (SMASS): Xc

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,700 days (4.65 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 17.82 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.66 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.91 AU
  • Rotation Period: 8.17 hours
  • Approx. Composition: iron, nickel, cobalt, and platinum.

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Alvema 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.