Datura

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Main-belt Asteroid
• Comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay (8.20 km diameter)
• Not a Near Earth Object
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

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

Datura orbits the sun every 1,220 days (3.34 years), coming as close as 1.77 AU and reaching as far as 2.70 AU from the sun. Datura is about 8.2 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay.

The rotation of Datura has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 3.36 hours.

No Close Approaches

Datura's orbit is 0.78 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is a very 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

Datura's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Dec. 17, 1930. It was last officially observed on July 5, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 3,742 observations used to determine its orbit.

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

View asteroid Datura 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 Datura:

• 296 Phaetusa (A890 QB)
• 315 Constantia (A891 RB)
• 422 Berolina (A896 TA)

References

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

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Datura 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.