Pocahontas

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Amor-class Asteroid
• Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge
• Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

Pocahontas is a mid-sized asteroid whose orbit approaches the orbit of Earth but does not cross it. NASA JPL has classified Pocahontas as a "Near Earth Asteroid" due to its orbit's proximity to Earth, but it is not considered potentially hazardous because computer simulations have not indicated any imminent likelihood of future collision.

Pocahontas orbits the sun every 831 days (2.28 years), coming as close as 1.22 AU and reaching as far as 2.24 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, Pocahontas is probably between 0.844 to 1.888 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge.

No Close Approaches

Pocahontas's orbit is 0.22 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.

Orbital simulations conducted by NASA JPL's CNEOS do not show any close approaches to Earth.

Images and Observations

Pocahontas's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 24, 1987. It was last officially observed on June 25, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 776 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 Pocahontas:

• 2629 Rudra (1980 RB1)
• 4205 David Hughes (1985 YP)
• 11284 Belenus (1990 BA)

References

• JPL Small Body Database
• Mission Design
• Sky Finder Chart

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Pocahontas 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 Pocahontas 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.