Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Main-belt Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. state of Connecticut (147.29 km diameter)
  • Not a Near Earth Object
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

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

Lamberta orbits the sun every 1,650 days (4.52 years), coming as close as 2.07 AU and reaching as far as 3.38 AU from the sun. Lamberta is about 147.3 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the U.S. state of Connecticut.

The rotation of Lamberta has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 10.67 hours.

Lamberta's spectral type C (Tholen) / Ch (SMASSII) indicates that it is likely to contain water, iron, nickel, cobalt, nitrogen, and ammonia.

No Close Approaches

Lamberta's orbit is 1.07 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

Lamberta's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 29, 1880. It was last officially observed on June 11, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 7,983 observations used to determine its orbit.

Scientists have been able to determine this object's shape:

View asteroid Lamberta in 3D.

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 Lamberta:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.728 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.2404
  • Inclination: 10.58°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 21.67°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 196.69°
  • Mean Anomaly: 66.53°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 147.29400 km
  • Magnitude: 8.43
  • Albedo: 0.044
  • Spectral type (Tholen): C
  • Spectral type (SMASS): Ch

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,650 days (4.52 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 17.99 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.38 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.07 AU
  • Rotation Period: 10.67 hours
  • Approx. Composition: water, iron, nickel, cobalt, nitrogen, and ammonia.

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Lamberta 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.