Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Jupiter Trojan
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. state of Rhode Island (47.65 km diameter)
  • Not a Near Earth Object
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

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

Glaukos orbits the sun every 4,380 days (11.99 years), coming as close as 5.07 AU and reaching as far as 5.42 AU from the sun. Glaukos is about 47.6 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the U.S. state of Rhode Island.

The rotation of Glaukos has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 5.99 hours.

No Close Approaches

Glaukos's orbit is 4.05 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

Glaukos's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 24, 1955. It was last officially observed on June 24, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 2,805 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 Glaukos:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 5.242 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0337
  • Inclination: 6.58°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 176.3°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 132.08°
  • Mean Anomaly: 18.18°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 47.64900 km
  • Magnitude: 10.64
  • Albedo: 0.049

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 4,380 days (11.99 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 13.02 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 5.42 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 5.07 AU
  • Rotation Period: 5.99 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Glaukos 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.