Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Jupiter Trojan
  • Comparable in size to the city of Cleveland, Ohio (11.98 km diameter)
  • Not a Near Earth Object
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

39691 (1996 RR31) is a large asteroid that shares Jupiter's orbit around the sun. NASA JPL has not classified 1996 RR31 as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

1996 RR31 orbits the sun every 4,380 days (11.99 years), coming as close as 4.77 AU and reaching as far as 5.71 AU from the sun. 1996 RR31 is about 12.0 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Cleveland, Ohio.

No Close Approaches

1996 RR31's orbit is 3.78 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

1996 RR31's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 13, 1996. It was last officially observed on Dec. 24, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 789 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 1996 RR31:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 5.24 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0906
  • Inclination: 2.35°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 156.6°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 278.73°
  • Mean Anomaly: 29.18°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 11.98200 km
  • Magnitude: 12.73
  • Albedo: 0.112

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 4,380 days (11.99 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 13.02 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 5.71 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 4.77 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 39691 (1996 RR31) 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.