Key Facts

Overview

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

Hyakutake orbits the sun every 2,020 days (5.53 years), coming as close as 2.39 AU and reaching as far as 3.85 AU from the sun. Hyakutake is about 15.9 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Philadelphia.

The rotation of Hyakutake has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 198.74 hours.

No Close Approaches

Hyakutake's orbit is 1.41 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

Hyakutake's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 9, 1974. It was last officially observed on June 30, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 3,922 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 Hyakutake:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 3.122 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.2329
  • Inclination: 8.41°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 83.93°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 303.11°
  • Mean Anomaly: 293.96°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 15.93300 km
  • Magnitude: 12.19
  • Albedo: 0.121

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 2,020 days (5.53 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 16.81 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.85 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.39 AU
  • Rotation Period: 198.74 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Hyakutake 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.