Key Facts

Overview

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

Postma orbits the sun every 1,930 days (5.28 years), coming as close as 2.55 AU and reaching as far as 3.51 AU from the sun. Postma is about 15.3 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Baltimore.

The rotation of Postma has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 3.54 hours.

No Close Approaches

Postma'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

Postma's orbit is determined by observations dating back to March 26, 1971. It was last officially observed on May 4, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 3,146 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 Postma:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 3.03 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1584
  • Inclination: 12.71°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 166.73°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 205.15°
  • Mean Anomaly: 157.82°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 15.33500 km
  • Magnitude: 12.87
  • Albedo: 0.069

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,930 days (5.28 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 17.08 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.51 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.55 AU
  • Rotation Period: 3.54 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Postma 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.