Key Facts

Overview

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

Croatia orbits the sun every 2,030 days (5.56 years), coming as close as 3.01 AU and reaching as far as 3.26 AU from the sun. Croatia is about 93.6 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the U.S. state of Delaware.

The rotation of Croatia has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 24.93 hours.

No Close Approaches

Croatia's orbit is 2.03 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

Croatia's orbit is determined by observations dating back to March 4, 1906. It was last officially observed on July 4, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 12,232 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 Croatia:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 3.136 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0403
  • Inclination: 10.8°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 177.44°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 228.65°
  • Mean Anomaly: 187.71°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 93.61700 km
  • Magnitude: 9.36
  • Albedo: 0.041
  • Spectral type (Tholen): CX

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 2,030 days (5.56 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 16.81 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.26 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 3.01 AU
  • Rotation Period: 24.93 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Croatia 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.