Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Main-belt Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. state of Rhode Island (49.03 km diameter)
  • Not a Near Earth Object
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

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

Vienna orbits the sun every 1,560 days (4.27 years), coming as close as 1.98 AU and reaching as far as 3.29 AU from the sun. Vienna is about 49.0 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the U.S. state of Rhode Island.

The rotation of Vienna has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 15.48 hours.

Vienna's spectral type S (Tholen) / K (SMASSII) indicates that it is likely to contain water, iron, nickel, cobalt, nitrogen, and ammonia.

No Close Approaches

Vienna's orbit is 1.00 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

Vienna's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 23, 1898. It was last officially observed on March 26, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 5,167 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 Vienna:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.634 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.2481
  • Inclination: 12.87°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 227.88°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 139.93°
  • Mean Anomaly: 81.74°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 49.03200 km
  • Magnitude: 9.42
  • Albedo: 0.139
  • Spectral type (Tholen): S
  • Spectral type (SMASS): K

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,560 days (4.27 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 18.37 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.29 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.98 AU
  • Rotation Period: 15.48 hours
  • Approx. Composition: water, iron, nickel, cobalt, nitrogen, and ammonia.

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Vienna 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.