Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Jupiter Trojan
  • Comparable in size to the city of Indianapolis (20.58 km diameter)
  • Not a Near Earth Object
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

69437 (1996 KW2) is a large asteroid that shares Jupiter's orbit around the sun. NASA JPL has not classified 1996 KW2 as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

1996 KW2 orbits the sun every 4,440 days (12.16 years), coming as close as 4.89 AU and reaching as far as 5.67 AU from the sun. 1996 KW2 is about 20.6 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Indianapolis.

The rotation of 1996 KW2 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 3.64 hours.

No Close Approaches

1996 KW2's orbit is 3.91 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

1996 KW2's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Jan. 1, 1992. It was last officially observed on Oct. 1, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 857 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 1996 KW2:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 5.284 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0737
  • Inclination: 30.3°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 109.08°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 216.42°
  • Mean Anomaly: 24.55°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 20.57600 km
  • Magnitude: 12.07
  • Albedo: 0.046

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 4,440 days (12.16 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 12.95 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 5.67 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 4.89 AU
  • Rotation Period: 3.64 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 69437 (1996 KW2) 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.