Key Facts

Overview

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

Morimoto orbits the sun every 1,530 days (4.19 years), coming as close as 2.15 AU and reaching as far as 3.05 AU from the sun. Morimoto is about 7.5 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay.

The rotation of Morimoto has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 13.49 hours.

No Close Approaches

Morimoto's orbit is 1.20 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

Morimoto's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 22, 1987. It was last officially observed on July 5, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 3,273 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 Morimoto:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.596 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1731
  • Inclination: 12.5°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 346.99°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 93.07°
  • Mean Anomaly: 170.49°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 7.51200 km
  • Magnitude: 13.01
  • Albedo: 0.452

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,530 days (4.19 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 18.46 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.05 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.15 AU
  • Rotation Period: 13.49 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Morimoto 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.