Key Facts

Overview

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

Josephblack orbits the sun every 2,070 days (5.67 years), coming as close as 2.65 AU and reaching as far as 3.70 AU from the sun. Josephblack is about 21.1 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Indianapolis.

The rotation of Josephblack has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 17.54 hours.

No Close Approaches

Josephblack's orbit is 1.66 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

Josephblack's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 28, 1954. It was last officially observed on April 24, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 2,921 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 Josephblack:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 3.174 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1665
  • Inclination: 17.46°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 39.19°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 15.31°
  • Mean Anomaly: 77.43°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 21.09200 km
  • Magnitude: 12.09
  • Albedo: 0.036

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 2,070 days (5.67 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 16.68 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.70 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.65 AU
  • Rotation Period: 17.54 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Josephblack 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.