Key Facts

Overview

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

Palestrina orbits the sun every 1,780 days (4.87 years), coming as close as 2.66 AU and reaching as far as 3.09 AU from the sun. Palestrina is about 7.6 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay.

No Close Approaches

Palestrina's orbit is 1.66 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

Palestrina's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 1, 1953. It was last officially observed on March 28, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 3,451 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 Palestrina:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.878 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.075
  • Inclination: 1.89°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 188.2°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 193.92°
  • Mean Anomaly: 78.71°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 7.60300 km
  • Magnitude: 13.05
  • Albedo: 0.254

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,780 days (4.87 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 17.59 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.09 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.66 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Palestrina 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.