Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Jupiter Trojan
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. state of Delaware (112.32 km diameter)
  • Not a Near Earth Object
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

Nestor is a large asteroid that shares Jupiter's orbit around the sun. NASA JPL has not classified Nestor as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

Nestor orbits the sun every 4,290 days (11.75 years), coming as close as 4.57 AU and reaching as far as 5.77 AU from the sun. Nestor is about 112.3 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the U.S. state of Delaware.

The rotation of Nestor has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 15.98 hours.

No Close Approaches

Nestor's orbit is 3.56 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

Nestor's orbit is determined by observations dating back to March 23, 1908. It was last officially observed on April 17, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 4,680 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 Nestor:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 5.169 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1164
  • Inclination: 4.52°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 350.75°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 344.1°
  • Mean Anomaly: 115.14°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 112.32000 km
  • Magnitude: 8.77
  • Albedo: 0.035
  • Spectral type (Tholen): XC

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 4,290 days (11.75 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 13.11 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 5.77 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 4.57 AU
  • Rotation Period: 15.98 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Nestor 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.