Koppen

52295 Koppen (1990 VK4)

Space Reference » Main-belt Asteroids » Koppen

Key Facts

Overview

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

Koppen orbits the sun every 1,470 days (4.02 years), coming as close as 2.06 AU and reaching as far as 2.99 AU from the sun. Koppen is about 2.0 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to Mount Everest.

The rotation of Koppen has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 37.26 hours.

No Close Approaches

Koppen's orbit is 1.08 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

Koppen's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 15, 1990. It was last officially observed on March 5, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 2,626 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 Koppen:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.527 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.185
  • Inclination: 5.36°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 137.35°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 268.12°
  • Mean Anomaly: 69.73°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 1.95200 km
  • Magnitude: 15.34
  • Albedo: 0.558

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,470 days (4.02 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 18.70 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.99 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.06 AU
  • Rotation Period: 37.26 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of Koppen 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 Koppen 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.