Key Facts

Overview

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

Burdigala orbits the sun every 1,580 days (4.33 years), coming as close as 2.27 AU and reaching as far as 3.04 AU from the sun. Burdigala is about 34.4 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of New York.

The rotation of Burdigala has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 404.90 hours.

Burdigala's spectral type S (Tholen) / S (SMASSII) indicates that it is likely to contain and .

No Close Approaches

Burdigala's orbit is 1.28 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

Burdigala's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 18, 1899. It was last officially observed on April 17, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 4,062 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 Burdigala:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.652 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1454
  • Inclination: 5.59°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 47.67°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 34.94°
  • Mean Anomaly: 46.83°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 34.43500 km
  • Magnitude: 9.44
  • Albedo: 0.192
  • Spectral type (Tholen): S
  • Spectral type (SMASS): S

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,580 days (4.33 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 18.26 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.04 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.27 AU
  • Rotation Period: 404.90 hours
  • Approx. Composition: and .

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Burdigala 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.