Thoreau

44597 Thoreau (1999 PW)

Space Reference » Main-belt Asteroids » Thoreau

Key Facts

Overview

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

Thoreau orbits the sun every 1,240 days (3.39 years), coming as close as 1.99 AU and reaching as far as 2.52 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, Thoreau is probably between 1.989 to 4.447 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to Mount Everest.

No Close Approaches

Thoreau's orbit is 0.98 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

Thoreau's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Feb. 23, 1998. It was last officially observed on June 24, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 1,352 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 Thoreau:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.254 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1175
  • Inclination: 5.04°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 208.45°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 7.24°
  • Mean Anomaly: 136.86°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~2.567 km
  • Magnitude: 15.63

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,240 days (3.39 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 19.78 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.52 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.99 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of Thoreau 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 Thoreau 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.