Key Facts
- Categorized as a Outer Main-belt Asteroid
- Comparable in size to the U.S. state of Maryland (209.00 km diameter)
- Not a Near Earth Object
- Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
- See orbit simulation
Overview
Hermione is a very large asteroid that orbits between Mars and Jupiter in the outer reaches of the main asteroid belt. NASA JPL has not classified Hermione as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.
Hermione orbits the sun every 2,340 days (6.41 years), coming as close as 3.02 AU and reaching as far as 3.89 AU from the sun. Hermione is about 209.0 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the U.S. state of Maryland.
The rotation of Hermione has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 5.55 hours.
Hermione's spectral type C (Tholen) / Ch (SMASSII) indicates that it is likely to contain water, iron, nickel, cobalt, nitrogen, and ammonia.
No Close Approaches
Hermione's orbit is 2.03 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
Hermione's orbit is determined by observations dating back to June 7, 1872. It was last officially observed on May 7, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 6,844 observations used to determine its orbit.
Scientists have been able to determine this object's shape:
View asteroid Hermione 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 Hermione:References
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or view a random objectOrbital Elements
- Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
- Semi-major axis: 3.453 AU
- Eccentricity: 0.1257
- Inclination: 7.57°
- Longitude of Ascending Node: 72.88°
- Argument of Periapsis: 296.93°
- Mean Anomaly: 105.29°
Physical Characteristics
- Diameter: 209.00000 km
- Magnitude: 7.49
- Albedo: 0.0482
- Spectral type (Tholen): C
- Spectral type (SMASS): Ch
Derived Characteristics
- Orbit Period: 2,340 days (6.41 years)
- Avg. Orbit Speed: 16.05 km/s
- Aphelion Distance: 3.89 AU
- Perihelion Distance: 3.02 AU
- Rotation Period: 5.55 hours
- Approx. Composition: water, iron, nickel, cobalt, nitrogen, and ammonia.
Map Comparison
Orbit Simulation
Sky Map
The position of Hermione 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.