Key Facts

Overview

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

Kalahari orbits the sun every 1,760 days (4.82 years), coming as close as 2.45 AU and reaching as far as 3.27 AU from the sun. Kalahari is about 34.6 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of New York.

The rotation of Kalahari has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 21.15 hours.

Kalahari's spectral type D (Tholen) / L (SMASSII) indicates that it is likely to contain magnesium silicate, iron silicate, and aluminum.

No Close Approaches

Kalahari's orbit is 1.46 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

Kalahari's orbit is determined by observations dating back to July 5, 1948. It was last officially observed on May 15, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 4,373 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 Kalahari:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.857 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1429
  • Inclination: 9.96°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 103.84°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 241.39°
  • Mean Anomaly: 157.9°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 34.64500 km
  • Magnitude: 11.08
  • Albedo: 0.065
  • Spectral type (Tholen): D
  • Spectral type (SMASS): L

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,760 days (4.82 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 17.66 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.27 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.45 AU
  • Rotation Period: 21.15 hours
  • Approx. Composition: magnesium silicate, iron silicate, and aluminum.

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Kalahari 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.