Key Facts

Overview

Couturier is a large asteroid that orbits between Mars and Jupiter in the outer reaches of the main asteroid belt. NASA JPL has not classified Couturier as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

Couturier orbits the sun every 2,860 days (7.83 years), coming as close as 3.30 AU and reaching as far as 4.58 AU from the sun. Couturier is about 22.1 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Indianapolis.

The rotation of Couturier has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 50.00 hours.

No Close Approaches

Couturier's orbit is 2.29 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

Couturier's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 28, 1951. It was last officially observed on Feb. 17, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 3,840 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 Couturier:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 3.942 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1616
  • Inclination: 1.22°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 351.18°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 326.47°
  • Mean Anomaly: 89.89°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 22.09900 km
  • Magnitude: 11.97
  • Albedo: 0.076

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 2,860 days (7.83 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 14.99 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 4.58 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 3.30 AU
  • Rotation Period: 50.00 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Couturier 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.