Key Facts
- Categorized as a Outer Main-belt Asteroid
- Comparable in size to the U.S. state of Maryland (237.26 km diameter)
- Not a Near Earth Object
- Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
- See orbit simulation
Overview
Cybele is a very large asteroid that orbits between Mars and Jupiter in the outer reaches of the main asteroid belt. NASA JPL has not classified Cybele as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.
Cybele orbits the sun every 2,320 days (6.35 years), coming as close as 3.01 AU and reaching as far as 3.84 AU from the sun. Cybele is about 237.3 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the U.S. state of Maryland.
The rotation of Cybele has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 6.08 hours.
Cybele's spectral type P (Tholen) / Xc (SMASSII) indicates that it is likely to contain iron, nickel, cobalt, and platinum.
No Close Approaches
Cybele's orbit is 1.99 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
Cybele's orbit is determined by observations dating back to March 12, 1861. It was last officially observed on Feb. 3, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 4,551 observations used to determine its orbit.
Scientists have been able to determine this object's shape:
View asteroid Cybele in 3D.
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 Cybele:References
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or view a random objectOrbital Elements
- Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
- Semi-major axis: 3.426 AU
- Eccentricity: 0.1222
- Inclination: 3.56°
- Longitude of Ascending Node: 155.37°
- Argument of Periapsis: 103.36°
- Mean Anomaly: 148.16°
Physical Characteristics
- Diameter: 237.26000 km
- Magnitude: 6.89
- Albedo: 0.0706
- Spectral type (Tholen): P
- Spectral type (SMASS): Xc
Derived Characteristics
- Orbit Period: 2,320 days (6.35 years)
- Avg. Orbit Speed: 16.07 km/s
- Aphelion Distance: 3.84 AU
- Perihelion Distance: 3.01 AU
- Rotation Period: 6.08 hours
- Approx. Composition: iron, nickel, cobalt, and platinum.
Map Comparison
Orbit Simulation
Sky Map
The position of Cybele 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.