Key Facts

Overview

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

Hirabayashi orbits the sun every 1,790 days (4.90 years), coming as close as 2.38 AU and reaching as far as 3.38 AU from the sun. Hirabayashi is about 14.7 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Baltimore.

No Close Approaches

Hirabayashi's orbit is 1.40 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

Hirabayashi's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 30, 1964. It was last officially observed on Feb. 3, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 3,102 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 Hirabayashi:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.884 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1734
  • Inclination: 6.07°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 74.54°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 81.85°
  • Mean Anomaly: 294.64°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 14.70700 km
  • Magnitude: 13.0
  • Albedo: 0.074

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,790 days (4.90 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 17.53 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.38 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.38 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Hirabayashi 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.