Key Facts

Overview

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

Turnera orbits the sun every 1,920 days (5.26 years), coming as close as 2.72 AU and reaching as far as 3.33 AU from the sun. Turnera is about 34.3 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of New York.

The rotation of Turnera has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 12.09 hours.

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

No Close Approaches

Turnera's orbit is 1.73 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

Turnera's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Aug. 1, 1929. It was last officially observed on July 5, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 4,482 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 Turnera:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 3.022 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1011
  • Inclination: 10.75°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 42.95°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 296.61°
  • Mean Anomaly: 303.18°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 34.29000 km
  • Magnitude: 9.88
  • Albedo: 0.240
  • Spectral type (Tholen): S
  • Spectral type (SMASS): Sq

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,920 days (5.26 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 17.12 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.33 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.72 AU
  • Rotation Period: 12.09 hours
  • Approx. Composition: and .

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Turnera 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.