Key Facts

Overview

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

Carolientje orbits the sun every 1,650 days (4.52 years), coming as close as 2.47 AU and reaching as far as 2.99 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, Carolientje is probably between 5.815 to 13.003 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay.

No Close Approaches

Carolientje's orbit is 1.50 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

Carolientje's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 19, 1973. It was last officially observed on Dec. 17, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 2,989 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 Carolientje:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.728 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0959
  • Inclination: 13.16°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 179.07°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 305.64°
  • Mean Anomaly: 284.11°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~7.507 km
  • Magnitude: 13.3

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,650 days (4.52 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 17.99 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.99 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.47 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Carolientje 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.