Key Facts

Overview

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

Giotto orbits the sun every 2,090 days (5.72 years), coming as close as 2.80 AU and reaching as far as 3.59 AU from the sun. Giotto is about 7.8 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay.

No Close Approaches

Giotto's orbit is 1.80 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

Giotto's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 8, 1954. It was last officially observed on June 25, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 2,033 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 Giotto:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 3.195 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1238
  • Inclination: 0.72°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 20.47°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 170.31°
  • Mean Anomaly: 63.84°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 7.80000 km
  • Magnitude: 14.02
  • Albedo: 0.096

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 2,090 days (5.72 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 16.63 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.59 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.80 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Giotto 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.