Key Facts

Overview

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

Kolga orbits the sun every 1,800 days (4.93 years), coming as close as 2.64 AU and reaching as far as 3.15 AU from the sun. Kolga is about 94.5 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the U.S. state of Delaware.

The rotation of Kolga has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 17.60 hours.

Kolga's spectral type XC: (Tholen) / Cb (SMASSII) indicates that it is likely to contain water, iron, nickel, cobalt, nitrogen, and ammonia.

No Close Approaches

Kolga's orbit is 1.66 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

Kolga's orbit is determined by observations dating back to July 16, 1991. It was last officially observed on June 8, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 8,943 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 Kolga:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.895 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0876
  • Inclination: 11.52°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 159.19°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 226.38°
  • Mean Anomaly: 127.13°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 94.53600 km
  • Magnitude: 9.14
  • Albedo: 0.046
  • Spectral type (Tholen): XC:
  • Spectral type (SMASS): Cb

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,800 days (4.93 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 17.50 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.15 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.64 AU
  • Rotation Period: 17.60 hours
  • Approx. Composition: water, iron, nickel, cobalt, nitrogen, and ammonia.

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Kolga 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.