Key Facts

Overview

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

Elnapoul orbits the sun every 1,540 days (4.22 years), coming as close as 2.05 AU and reaching as far as 3.16 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, Elnapoul is probably between 8.252 to 18.452 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the city of Boston.

The rotation of Elnapoul has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 36.14 hours.

No Close Approaches

Elnapoul's orbit is 1.06 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

Elnapoul's orbit is determined by observations dating back to March 9, 1953. It was last officially observed on April 1, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 3,064 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 Elnapoul:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.605 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.2148
  • Inclination: 12.08°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 252.33°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 62.53°
  • Mean Anomaly: 139.7°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~10.653 km
  • Magnitude: 12.54

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,540 days (4.22 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 18.40 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.16 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.05 AU
  • Rotation Period: 36.14 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Elnapoul 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.