Key Facts
- Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
- Comparable in size to the island of Manhattan (3.65 km diameter)
- Will pass within 29,221,395 km of Earth in 2051
- Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
- Classified as a Potentially Hazardous Asteroid (PHA)
- See orbit simulation
Overview
Cuno is a mid-sized asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified Cuno as a "Potentially Hazardous Asteroid" due to its predicted close pass(es) with Earth.
Cuno orbits the sun every 1,020 days (2.79 years), coming as close as 0.72 AU and reaching as far as 3.24 AU from the sun. Cuno is about 3.7 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the island of Manhattan.
The rotation of Cuno has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 3.56 hours.
Cuno's spectral type None (Tholen) / Sq (SMASSII) indicates that it is likely to contain and .
Close Approaches
Cuno's orbit is 0.03 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is a wide berth between this asteroid and Earth at all times.
Cuno has 11 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
|---|---|---|
| June 9, 2051 | 29,221,395 | 22.117 |
| Dec. 22, 2053 | 22,988,068 | 21.570 |
| May 20, 2065 | 19,146,102 | 14.082 |
| Jan. 8, 2093 | 12,608,741 | 14.869 |
| June 3, 2104 | 14,677,800 | 18.571 |
| May 21, 2118 | 19,860,540 | 13.903 |
| Jan. 8, 2146 | 9,140,859 | 15.418 |
| June 11, 2157 | 29,022,783 | 22.142 |
| Dec. 27, 2159 | 18,220,664 | 20.607 |
| May 28, 2171 | 13,705,400 | 15.445 |
| Jan. 23, 2199 | 24,814,082 | 12.921 |
Images and Observations
Cuno's orbit is determined by observations dating back to June 5, 1959. It was last officially observed on Aug. 7, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 3,332 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 Cuno:References
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or view a random objectOrbital Elements
- Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
- Semi-major axis: 1.981 AU
- Eccentricity: 0.636
- Inclination: 6.67°
- Longitude of Ascending Node: 294.35°
- Argument of Periapsis: 237.04°
- Mean Anomaly: 34.47°
Physical Characteristics
- Diameter: 3.65100 km
- Magnitude: 14.18
- Albedo: 0.097
- Spectral type (SMASS): Sq
Derived Characteristics
- Orbit Period: 1,020 days (2.79 years)
- Avg. Orbit Speed: 21.13 km/s
- Aphelion Distance: 3.24 AU
- Perihelion Distance: 0.72 AU
- Rotation Period: 3.56 hours
- Approx. Composition: and .
Map Comparison
Orbit Simulation
Sky Map
The position of Cuno 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.
Size Rendering
The above comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of Cuno to create an approximate landscape rendering with Mount Everest in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.
