Key Facts

Overview

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

Pyatnitskij orbits the sun every 1,420 days (3.89 years), coming as close as 2.10 AU and reaching as far as 2.84 AU from the sun. Pyatnitskij is about 14.3 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Cleveland, Ohio.

No Close Approaches

Pyatnitskij's orbit is 1.11 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

Pyatnitskij's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 30, 1949. It was last officially observed on March 13, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 3,709 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 Pyatnitskij:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.468 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1497
  • Inclination: 7.14°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 192.09°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 205.37°
  • Mean Anomaly: 67.03°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 14.33600 km
  • Magnitude: 13.4
  • Albedo: 0.044

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,420 days (3.89 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 18.91 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.84 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.10 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Pyatnitskij 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.