Key Facts

Overview

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

Whittle orbits the sun every 1,510 days (4.13 years), coming as close as 2.41 AU and reaching as far as 2.74 AU from the sun. Whittle is about 8.0 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay.

The rotation of Whittle has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 9.70 hours.

No Close Approaches

Whittle's orbit is 1.44 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

Whittle's orbit is determined by observations dating back to July 2, 1998. It was last officially observed on June 30, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 2,682 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 Whittle:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.579 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0638
  • Inclination: 13.66°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 275.16°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 147.47°
  • Mean Anomaly: 239.56°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 8.03900 km
  • Magnitude: 13.13
  • Albedo: 0.172

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,510 days (4.13 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 18.58 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.74 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.41 AU
  • Rotation Period: 9.70 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Whittle 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.