Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Jupiter Trojan
  • Comparable in size to the city of Philadelphia (17.40 km diameter)
  • Not a Near Earth Object
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

17874 (1998 YM3) is a large asteroid that shares Jupiter's orbit around the sun. NASA JPL has not classified 1998 YM3 as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

1998 YM3 orbits the sun every 4,390 days (12.02 years), coming as close as 5.00 AU and reaching as far as 5.49 AU from the sun. 1998 YM3 is about 17.4 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Philadelphia.

The rotation of 1998 YM3 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 9.81 hours.

No Close Approaches

1998 YM3's orbit is 4.01 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

1998 YM3's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Dec. 1, 1951. It was last officially observed on March 27, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 1,626 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 1998 YM3:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 5.243 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0473
  • Inclination: 2.54°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 46.0°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 47.41°
  • Mean Anomaly: 45.52°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 17.39900 km
  • Magnitude: 11.92
  • Albedo: 0.134

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 4,390 days (12.02 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 12.99 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 5.49 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 5.00 AU
  • Rotation Period: 9.81 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 17874 (1998 YM3) 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.