Key Facts

Overview

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

Erikhog orbits the sun every 1,940 days (5.31 years), coming as close as 2.78 AU and reaching as far as 3.30 AU from the sun. Erikhog is about 14.7 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Baltimore.

The rotation of Erikhog has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 8.00 hours.

No Close Approaches

Erikhog's orbit is 1.80 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

Erikhog's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 11, 1977. It was last officially observed on July 4, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 3,564 observations used to determine its orbit.

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

View asteroid Erikhog 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 Erikhog:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 3.042 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0846
  • Inclination: 10.69°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 94.38°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 252.6°
  • Mean Anomaly: 266.13°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 14.71000 km
  • Magnitude: 11.97
  • Albedo: 0.171

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,940 days (5.31 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 17.06 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.30 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.78 AU
  • Rotation Period: 8.00 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Erikhog 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.