13737 (1998 RU76)

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Main-belt Asteroid
• Comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay (9.13 km diameter)
• Not a Near Earth Object
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

13737 (1998 RU76) is a mid-sized asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter in the main portion of the asteroid belt. NASA JPL has not classified 1998 RU76 as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

1998 RU76 orbits the sun every 1,330 days (3.64 years), coming as close as 1.77 AU and reaching as far as 2.96 AU from the sun. 1998 RU76 is about 9.1 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay.

The rotation of 1998 RU76 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 7.74 hours.

No Close Approaches

1998 RU76's orbit is 0.76 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

1998 RU76's orbit is determined by observations dating back to July 28, 1976. It was last officially observed on July 5, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 2,774 observations used to determine its orbit.

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

View asteroid 13737 (1998 RU76) 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 1998 RU76:

• 4 Vesta (A807 FA)
• 30 Urania (A854 OA)
• 51 Nemausa (A858 BA)

References

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

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 13737 (1998 RU76) 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.