Pirola

1082 Pirola (1927 UC)

Space Reference » Main-belt Asteroids » Pirola

Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Main-belt Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. state of Rhode Island (42.61 km diameter)
  • Not a Near Earth Object
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

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

Pirola orbits the sun every 2,020 days (5.53 years), coming as close as 2.56 AU and reaching as far as 3.68 AU from the sun. Pirola is about 42.6 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the U.S. state of Rhode Island.

The rotation of Pirola has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 15.85 hours.

Pirola's spectral type C (Tholen) / None (SMASSII) indicates that it is likely to contain water, iron, nickel, cobalt, nitrogen, and ammonia.

No Close Approaches

Pirola's orbit is 1.55 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

Pirola's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 28, 1927. It was last officially observed on May 15, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 4,822 observations used to determine its orbit.

Scientists have been able to determine this object's shape:

View asteroid Pirola in 3D.

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 Pirola:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 3.123 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1795
  • Inclination: 1.85°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 147.94°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 186.52°
  • Mean Anomaly: 164.65°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 42.60700 km
  • Magnitude: 10.56
  • Albedo: 0.052
  • Spectral type (Tholen): C

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 2,020 days (5.53 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 16.82 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.68 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.56 AU
  • Rotation Period: 15.85 hours
  • Approx. Composition: water, iron, nickel, cobalt, nitrogen, and ammonia.

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of Pirola 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.