Parthenope

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Main-belt Asteroid
• Comparable in size to the U.S. state of Connecticut (142.89 km diameter)
• Not a Near Earth Object
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

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

Parthenope orbits the sun every 1,400 days (3.83 years), coming as close as 2.21 AU and reaching as far as 2.70 AU from the sun. Parthenope is about 142.9 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the U.S. state of Connecticut.

The rotation of Parthenope has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 13.72 hours.

Parthenope's spectral type S (Tholen) / Sk (SMASSII) indicates that it is likely to contain and .

No Close Approaches

Parthenope's orbit is 1.20 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

Parthenope's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 17, 1850. It was last officially observed on June 1, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 10,049 observations used to determine its orbit.

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

View asteroid Parthenope 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 Parthenope:

• 42 Isis (A856 KB)
• 79 Eurynome (A863 RA)
• 138 Tolosa (A874 KA)

References

• JPL Small Body Database
• Mission Design
• Sky Finder Chart

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Parthenope 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.