Key Facts

Overview

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

Bhattacharyya orbits the sun every 934 days (2.56 years), coming as close as 1.74 AU and reaching as far as 2.00 AU from the sun. Bhattacharyya is about 8.3 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay.

The rotation of Bhattacharyya has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 19.60 hours.

No Close Approaches

Bhattacharyya's orbit is 0.80 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is a very 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

Bhattacharyya's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Jan. 17, 1988. It was last officially observed on Dec. 25, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 2,661 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 Bhattacharyya:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.869 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0675
  • Inclination: 19.0°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 290.79°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 119.26°
  • Mean Anomaly: 47.44°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 8.28300 km
  • Magnitude: 14.42
  • Albedo: 0.055

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 934 days (2.56 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 21.77 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.00 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.74 AU
  • Rotation Period: 19.60 hours

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Bhattacharyya 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.