Key Facts

Overview

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

Laetitia orbits the sun every 1,680 days (4.60 years), coming as close as 2.46 AU and reaching as far as 3.08 AU from the sun. Laetitia is about 179.5 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the U.S. state of Maryland.

The rotation of Laetitia has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 5.14 hours.

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

No Close Approaches

Laetitia's orbit is 1.46 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

Laetitia's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Feb. 28, 1856. It was last officially observed on June 28, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 11,793 observations used to determine its orbit.

Scientists have been able to determine this object's shape:

View asteroid Laetitia in 3D.

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 Laetitia:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.769 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.112
  • Inclination: 10.37°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 156.93°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 209.81°
  • Mean Anomaly: 283.02°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 179.48400 km
  • Magnitude: 5.97
  • Albedo: 0.269
  • Spectral type (Tholen): S
  • Spectral type (SMASS): S

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,680 days (4.60 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 17.93 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.08 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.46 AU
  • Rotation Period: 5.14 hours
  • Approx. Composition: and .

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Laetitia 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.