Zerlina

531 Zerlina (A904 GC)

Space Reference » Main-belt Asteroids » Zerlina

Key Facts

Overview

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

Zerlina orbits the sun every 1,700 days (4.65 years), coming as close as 2.23 AU and reaching as far as 3.34 AU from the sun. Zerlina is about 17.8 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Philadelphia.

The rotation of Zerlina has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 16.71 hours.

Zerlina's spectral type None (Tholen) / B (SMASSII) indicates that it is likely to contain hydrogen, nitrogen, ammonia, and iron.

No Close Approaches

Zerlina's orbit is 1.33 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

Zerlina's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 12, 1904. It was last officially observed on March 9, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 4,348 observations used to determine its orbit.

Scientists have been able to determine this object's shape:

View asteroid Zerlina in 3D.

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 Zerlina:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.782 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1991
  • Inclination: 34.03°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 197.67°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 57.67°
  • Mean Anomaly: 210.59°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 17.80400 km
  • Magnitude: 12.1
  • Albedo: 0.101
  • Spectral type (SMASS): B

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,700 days (4.65 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 17.80 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.34 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.23 AU
  • Rotation Period: 16.71 hours
  • Approx. Composition: hydrogen, nitrogen, ammonia, and iron.

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of Zerlina 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.