17409 (1988 BA4)

Mid-sized Main-belt Asteroid

Space Reference » Main-belt Asteroids » 17409 (1988 BA4)

Key Facts

Overview

17409 (1988 BA4) is a mid-sized asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter in the main portion of the asteroid belt. NASA JPL has not classified 1988 BA4 as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

1988 BA4 orbits the sun every 1,280 days (3.50 years), coming as close as 2.20 AU and reaching as far as 2.41 AU from the sun. 1988 BA4 is about 2.5 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to Mount Everest.

The rotation of 1988 BA4 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 3.85 hours.

No Close Approaches

1988 BA4's orbit is 1.22 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

1988 BA4's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 2, 1986. It was last officially observed on June 5, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 2,659 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 1988 BA4:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.306 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0457
  • Inclination: 5.96°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 273.94°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 217.71°
  • Mean Anomaly: 61.11°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 2.50900 km
  • Magnitude: 14.69
  • Albedo: 0.535

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,280 days (3.50 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 19.60 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.41 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.20 AU
  • Rotation Period: 3.85 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 17409 (1988 BA4) 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 1988 BA4 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.