Key Facts

Overview

6704 (1988 CJ) is a large asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter in the main portion of the asteroid belt. NASA JPL has not classified 1988 CJ as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

1988 CJ orbits the sun every 1,680 days (4.60 years), coming as close as 2.65 AU and reaching as far as 2.88 AU from the sun. 1988 CJ is about 10.2 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Boston.

1988 CJ's spectral type None (Tholen) / K (SMASSII) indicates that it is likely to contain water, iron, nickel, cobalt, nitrogen, and ammonia.

No Close Approaches

1988 CJ's orbit is 1.64 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

1988 CJ's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 7, 1953. It was last officially observed on Feb. 2, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 3,221 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 1988 CJ:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.761 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0414
  • Inclination: 3.14°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 266.5°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 318.83°
  • Mean Anomaly: 195.4°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 10.21200 km
  • Magnitude: 13.16
  • Albedo: 0.116
  • Spectral type (SMASS): K

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,680 days (4.60 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 17.88 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.88 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.65 AU
  • Approx. Composition: water, iron, nickel, cobalt, nitrogen, and ammonia.

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 6704 (1988 CJ) 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.