Key Facts
- Categorized as a Main-belt Asteroid
- Comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay (6.11 km diameter)
- Not a Near Earth Object
- Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
- See orbit simulation
Overview
Dieckvoss is a mid-sized asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter in the main portion of the asteroid belt. NASA JPL has not classified Dieckvoss as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.
Dieckvoss orbits the sun every 1,130 days (3.09 years), coming as close as 1.88 AU and reaching as far as 2.37 AU from the sun. Dieckvoss is about 6.1 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay.
The rotation of Dieckvoss has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 2.59 hours.
Dieckvoss's spectral type None (Tholen) / S (SMASSII) indicates that it is likely to contain and .
No Close Approaches
Dieckvoss's orbit is 0.87 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
Dieckvoss's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 5, 1931. It was last officially observed on July 4, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 4,174 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 Dieckvoss:References
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or view a random objectOrbital Elements
- Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
- Semi-major axis: 2.126 AU
- Eccentricity: 0.1148
- Inclination: 1.88°
- Longitude of Ascending Node: 279.67°
- Argument of Periapsis: 339.11°
- Mean Anomaly: 336.98°
Physical Characteristics
- Diameter: 6.11100 km
- Magnitude: 13.09
- Albedo: 0.359
- Spectral type (SMASS): S
Derived Characteristics
- Orbit Period: 1,130 days (3.09 years)
- Avg. Orbit Speed: 20.47 km/s
- Aphelion Distance: 2.37 AU
- Perihelion Distance: 1.88 AU
- Rotation Period: 2.59 hours
- Approx. Composition: and .
Map Comparison
Orbit Simulation
Sky Map
The position of Dieckvoss 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 Dieckvoss 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.
