Key Facts
- Categorized as a Outer Main-belt Asteroid
- Comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay (5.75 km diameter)
- Not a Near Earth Object
- Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
- See orbit simulation
Overview
Stephengould is a mid-sized asteroid that orbits between Mars and Jupiter in the outer reaches of the main asteroid belt. NASA JPL has not classified Stephengould as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.
Stephengould orbits the sun every 2,170 days (5.94 years), coming as close as 1.46 AU and reaching as far as 5.10 AU from the sun. Stephengould is about 5.7 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay.
The rotation of Stephengould has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 4.44 hours.
No Close Approaches
Stephengould's orbit is 0.64 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
Stephengould's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Jan. 1, 1992. It was last officially observed on June 21, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 3,540 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 Stephengould:References
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or view a random objectOrbital Elements
- Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
- Semi-major axis: 3.28 AU
- Eccentricity: 0.5546
- Inclination: 40.79°
- Longitude of Ascending Node: 88.86°
- Argument of Periapsis: 55.35°
- Mean Anomaly: 102.94°
Physical Characteristics
- Diameter: 5.74800 km
- Magnitude: 14.31
- Albedo: 0.133
Derived Characteristics
- Orbit Period: 2,170 days (5.94 years)
- Avg. Orbit Speed: 16.44 km/s
- Aphelion Distance: 5.10 AU
- Perihelion Distance: 1.46 AU
- Rotation Period: 4.44 hours
Map Comparison
Orbit Simulation
Sky Map
The position of Stephengould 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.
Size Rendering
The above comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of Stephengould to create an approximate landscape rendering with Mount Everest in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.
