Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Jupiter Trojan
  • Comparable in size to the city of Indianapolis (25.07 km diameter)
  • Not a Near Earth Object
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

Ophelestes is a large asteroid that shares Jupiter's orbit around the sun. NASA JPL has not classified Ophelestes as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

Ophelestes orbits the sun every 4,440 days (12.16 years), coming as close as 5.16 AU and reaching as far as 5.42 AU from the sun. Ophelestes is about 25.1 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Indianapolis.

No Close Approaches

Ophelestes's orbit is 4.14 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

Ophelestes's orbit is determined by observations dating back to June 18, 1974. It was last officially observed on June 16, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 1,081 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 Ophelestes:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 5.289 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.025
  • Inclination: 12.81°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 98.47°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 202.29°
  • Mean Anomaly: 15.69°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 25.07000 km
  • Magnitude: 11.89
  • Albedo: 0.045

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 4,440 days (12.16 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 12.96 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 5.42 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 5.16 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Ophelestes 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.