Key Facts

Overview

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

Birkle orbits the sun every 1,810 days (4.96 years), coming as close as 2.81 AU and reaching as far as 3.00 AU from the sun. Birkle is about 10.1 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Boston.

The rotation of Birkle has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 14.58 hours.

No Close Approaches

Birkle's orbit is 1.79 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

Birkle's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Dec. 9, 1950. It was last officially observed on June 22, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 2,958 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 Birkle:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.904 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.034
  • Inclination: 2.92°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 46.09°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 184.94°
  • Mean Anomaly: 135.52°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 10.06200 km
  • Magnitude: 12.51
  • Albedo: 0.230

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,810 days (4.96 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 17.45 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.00 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.81 AU
  • Rotation Period: 14.58 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Birkle 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.