Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Jupiter Trojan
  • Comparable in size to the city of Los Angeles (34.84 km diameter)
  • Not a Near Earth Object
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

35673 (1998 VQ15) is a large asteroid that shares Jupiter's orbit around the sun. NASA JPL has not classified 1998 VQ15 as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

1998 VQ15 orbits the sun every 4,200 days (11.50 years), coming as close as 4.87 AU and reaching as far as 5.31 AU from the sun. 1998 VQ15 is about 34.8 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Los Angeles.

The rotation of 1998 VQ15 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 31.00 hours.

No Close Approaches

1998 VQ15's orbit is 3.88 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

1998 VQ15's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 14, 1998. It was last officially observed on March 13, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 1,799 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 1998 VQ15:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 5.091 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0437
  • Inclination: 9.91°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 43.21°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 0.23°
  • Mean Anomaly: 50.86°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 34.83600 km
  • Magnitude: 11.67
  • Albedo: 0.040

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 4,200 days (11.50 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 13.19 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 5.31 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 4.87 AU
  • Rotation Period: 31.00 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 35673 (1998 VQ15) 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.