Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Jupiter Trojan
  • Comparable in size to the city of Houston (39.77 km diameter)
  • Not a Near Earth Object
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

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

Euneus orbits the sun every 4,280 days (11.72 years), coming as close as 4.82 AU and reaching as far as 5.49 AU from the sun. Euneus is about 39.8 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Houston.

The rotation of Euneus has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 9.73 hours.

No Close Approaches

Euneus's orbit is 3.83 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

Euneus's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 19, 1973. It was last officially observed on April 9, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 3,439 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 Euneus:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 5.156 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0648
  • Inclination: 3.71°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 113.04°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 307.66°
  • Mean Anomaly: 35.14°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 39.77000 km
  • Magnitude: 10.37
  • Albedo: 0.093

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 4,280 days (11.72 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 13.11 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 5.49 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 4.82 AU
  • Rotation Period: 9.73 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Euneus 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.