Knysna

1324 Knysna (1934 LL)

Space Reference » Main-belt Asteroids » Knysna

Key Facts

Overview

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

Knysna orbits the sun every 1,180 days (3.23 years), coming as close as 1.83 AU and reaching as far as 2.54 AU from the sun. Knysna is about 6.5 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay.

The rotation of Knysna has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 2.55 hours.

Knysna's spectral type None (Tholen) / Sq (SMASSII) indicates that it is likely to contain and .

No Close Approaches

Knysna's orbit is 0.81 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

Knysna's orbit is determined by observations dating back to June 4, 1934. It was last officially observed on April 1, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 3,541 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 Knysna:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.184 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1642
  • Inclination: 4.52°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 304.29°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 330.13°
  • Mean Anomaly: 219.5°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 6.45600 km
  • Magnitude: 13.05
  • Albedo: 0.321
  • Spectral type (SMASS): Sq

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,180 days (3.23 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 20.14 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.54 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.83 AU
  • Rotation Period: 2.55 hours
  • Approx. Composition: and .

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of Knysna 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.

Size Rendering

The above comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of Knysna to create an approximate landscape rendering with Mount Everest in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.