Key Facts

Overview

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

Semper orbits the sun every 1,990 days (5.45 years), coming as close as 2.60 AU and reaching as far as 3.59 AU from the sun. Semper is about 15.5 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Philadelphia.

The rotation of Semper has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 24.00 hours.

No Close Approaches

Semper's orbit is 1.62 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

Semper's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 18, 1953. It was last officially observed on June 21, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 3,531 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 Semper:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 3.097 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1598
  • Inclination: 2.51°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 31.32°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 61.73°
  • Mean Anomaly: 101.78°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 15.49700 km
  • Magnitude: 12.81
  • Albedo: 0.074

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,990 days (5.45 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 16.93 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.59 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.60 AU
  • Rotation Period: 24.00 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Semper 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.