Key Facts
- Categorized as a Main-belt Asteroid
- Comparable in size to the island of Manhattan
- Not a Near Earth Object
- Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
- See orbit simulation
Overview
16382 (1981 ER27) is a mid-sized asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter in the main portion of the asteroid belt. NASA JPL has not classified 1981 ER27 as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.
1981 ER27 orbits the sun every 1,300 days (3.56 years), coming as close as 2.07 AU and reaching as far as 2.58 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 1981 ER27 is probably between 2.622 to 5.862 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the island of Manhattan.
The rotation of 1981 ER27 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 4.90 hours.
No Close Approaches
1981 ER27's orbit is 1.08 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
1981 ER27's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 18, 1979. It was last officially observed on April 13, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 1,747 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 1981 ER27:References
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or view a random objectOrbital Elements
- Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
- Semi-major axis: 2.328 AU
- Eccentricity: 0.1096
- Inclination: 7.29°
- Longitude of Ascending Node: 1.5°
- Argument of Periapsis: 33.76°
- Mean Anomaly: 124.68°
Physical Characteristics
- Diameter: ~3.384 km
- Magnitude: 15.03
Derived Characteristics
- Orbit Period: 1,300 days (3.56 years)
- Avg. Orbit Speed: 19.48 km/s
- Aphelion Distance: 2.58 AU
- Perihelion Distance: 2.07 AU
- Rotation Period: 4.90 hours
Map Comparison
Orbit Simulation
Sky Map
The position of 16382 (1981 ER27) 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 1981 ER27 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.
