Key Facts

Overview

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

Saint-Aignan orbits the sun every 1,520 days (4.16 years), coming as close as 1.90 AU and reaching as far as 3.28 AU from the sun. Saint-Aignan is about 7.8 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay.

No Close Approaches

Saint-Aignan's orbit is 0.95 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is a very 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

Saint-Aignan's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Aug. 27, 1954. It was last officially observed on April 15, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 3,078 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 Saint-Aignan:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.589 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.2662
  • Inclination: 12.22°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 97.93°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 83.13°
  • Mean Anomaly: 342.97°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 7.82800 km
  • Magnitude: 13.1
  • Albedo: 0.199

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,520 days (4.16 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 18.53 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.28 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.90 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Saint-Aignan 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.