Lyapunov

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Amor-class Asteroid
• Comparable in size to Mount Everest
• Will pass within 27,264,287 km of Earth in 2155
• Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

Lyapunov is a mid-sized asteroid whose orbit approaches the orbit of Earth but does not cross it. NASA JPL has classified Lyapunov as a "Near Earth Asteroid" due to its orbit's proximity to Earth, but it is not considered potentially hazardous because computer simulations have not indicated any imminent likelihood of future collision.

Lyapunov orbits the sun every 1,880 days (5.15 years), coming as close as 1.18 AU and reaching as far as 4.79 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, Lyapunov is probably between 2.180 to 4.876 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to Mount Everest.

Close Approaches

Lyapunov's orbit is 0.23 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is a wide berth between this asteroid and Earth at all times.

Lyapunov has 1 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:

Images and Observations

Lyapunov's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 19, 1987. It was last officially observed on Aug. 3, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 262 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 Lyapunov:

• 61 Danae (A860 RC)
• 69 Hesperia (A861 HC)
• 117 Lomia (A871 RB)

References

• JPL Small Body Database
• Mission Design
• Sky Finder Chart

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Lyapunov 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 Lyapunov 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.