Key Facts

Overview

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

Froeschle orbits the sun every 2,050 days (5.61 years), coming as close as 2.93 AU and reaching as far as 3.39 AU from the sun. Froeschle is about 30.0 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Indianapolis.

The rotation of Froeschle has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 6.00 hours.

No Close Approaches

Froeschle's orbit is 1.95 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

Froeschle's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 25, 1955. It was last officially observed on Feb. 3, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 4,590 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 Froeschle:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 3.16 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0729
  • Inclination: 16.89°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 226.28°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 141.72°
  • Mean Anomaly: 47.99°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 29.98100 km
  • Magnitude: 11.57
  • Albedo: 0.060

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 2,050 days (5.61 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 16.77 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.39 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.93 AU
  • Rotation Period: 6.00 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Froeschle 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.