Key Facts

Overview

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

Nina orbits the sun every 1,590 days (4.35 years), coming as close as 2.06 AU and reaching as far as 3.27 AU from the sun. Nina is about 80.6 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the U.S. state of Delaware.

The rotation of Nina has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 11.19 hours.

Nina's spectral type None (Tholen) / X (SMASSII) indicates that it is likely to contain iron, nickel, and cobalt.

No Close Approaches

Nina's orbit is 1.08 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

Nina's orbit is determined by observations dating back to July 29, 1916. It was last officially observed on June 30, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 3,444 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 Nina:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.665 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.2268
  • Inclination: 14.57°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 283.71°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 49.1°
  • Mean Anomaly: 213.5°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 80.57200 km
  • Magnitude: 8.02
  • Albedo: 0.157
  • Spectral type (SMASS): X

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,590 days (4.35 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 18.23 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.27 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.06 AU
  • Rotation Period: 11.19 hours
  • Approx. Composition: iron, nickel, and cobalt.

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Nina 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.