Kreutz

3635 Kreutz (1981 WO1)

Space Reference » Mars-crossing Asteroids » Kreutz

Key Facts

Overview

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

Kreutz orbits the sun every 878 days (2.40 years), coming as close as 1.64 AU and reaching as far as 1.95 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, Kreutz is probably between 2.796 to 6.252 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the island of Manhattan.

The rotation of Kreutz has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 280.00 hours.

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

No Close Approaches

Kreutz's orbit is 0.72 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

Kreutz's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 21, 1981. It was last officially observed on May 9, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 3,410 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 Kreutz:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.795 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0844
  • Inclination: 19.22°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 235.31°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 249.38°
  • Mean Anomaly: 95.01°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~3.610 km
  • Magnitude: 14.89
  • Spectral type (SMASS): S

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 878 days (2.40 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 22.24 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.95 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.64 AU
  • Rotation Period: 280.00 hours
  • Approx. Composition: and .

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of Kreutz 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 Kreutz 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.