Stellaris

8589 Stellaris (4068 P-L)

Space Reference » Main-belt Asteroids » Stellaris

Key Facts

Overview

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

Stellaris orbits the sun every 1,200 days (3.29 years), coming as close as 2.05 AU and reaching as far as 2.36 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, Stellaris is probably between 2.835 to 6.339 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the island of Manhattan.

The rotation of Stellaris has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 5.37 hours.

No Close Approaches

Stellaris's orbit is 1.05 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

Stellaris's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 24, 1960. It was last officially observed on Feb. 2, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 2,361 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 Stellaris:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.205 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0719
  • Inclination: 3.18°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 340.16°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 51.52°
  • Mean Anomaly: 57.9°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~3.660 km
  • Magnitude: 14.86

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,200 days (3.29 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 19.99 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.36 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.05 AU
  • Rotation Period: 5.37 hours

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

⧉

Sky Map

The position of Stellaris 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 Stellaris 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.