Key Facts

Overview

Briancox is a large asteroid that orbits between Mars and Jupiter in the outer reaches of the main asteroid belt. NASA JPL has not classified Briancox as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

Briancox orbits the sun every 2,870 days (7.86 years), coming as close as 2.93 AU and reaching as far as 4.97 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, Briancox is probably between 8.761 to 19.590 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the city of Cleveland, Ohio.

The rotation of Briancox has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 56.56 hours.

No Close Approaches

Briancox's orbit is 1.93 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

Briancox's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 26, 1978. It was last officially observed on June 18, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 1,980 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 Briancox:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 3.954 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.2578
  • Inclination: 4.85°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 220.33°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 119.34°
  • Mean Anomaly: 289.16°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: ~11.310 km
  • Magnitude: 12.41

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 2,870 days (7.86 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 14.99 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 4.97 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.93 AU
  • Rotation Period: 56.56 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Briancox 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.