Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Jupiter Trojan
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. state of Rhode Island (68.16 km diameter)
  • Not a Near Earth Object
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

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

Thersites orbits the sun every 4,470 days (12.24 years), coming as close as 4.73 AU and reaching as far as 5.89 AU from the sun. Thersites is about 68.2 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the U.S. state of Rhode Island.

The rotation of Thersites has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 10.49 hours.

No Close Approaches

Thersites's orbit is 3.73 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

Thersites's orbit is determined by observations dating back to March 28, 1954. It was last officially observed on April 16, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 3,823 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 Thersites:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 5.312 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1097
  • Inclination: 16.75°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 197.78°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 171.3°
  • Mean Anomaly: 77.31°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 68.16300 km
  • Magnitude: 9.53
  • Albedo: 0.055

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 4,470 days (12.24 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 12.93 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 5.89 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 4.73 AU
  • Rotation Period: 10.49 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Thersites 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.