Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Jupiter Trojan
  • Comparable in size to the city of Indianapolis (27.47 km diameter)
  • Not a Near Earth Object
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

20144 (1996 RA33) is a large asteroid that shares Jupiter's orbit around the sun. NASA JPL has not classified 1996 RA33 as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

1996 RA33 orbits the sun every 4,320 days (11.83 years), coming as close as 5.13 AU and reaching as far as 5.25 AU from the sun. 1996 RA33 is about 27.5 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Indianapolis.

No Close Approaches

1996 RA33's orbit is 4.13 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

1996 RA33's orbit is determined by observations dating back to June 12, 1983. It was last officially observed on April 1, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 1,844 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 1996 RA33:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 5.191 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0116
  • Inclination: 9.35°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 29.48°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 151.92°
  • Mean Anomaly: 271.86°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 27.46700 km
  • Magnitude: 11.55
  • Albedo: 0.071

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 4,320 days (11.83 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 13.07 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 5.25 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 5.13 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 20144 (1996 RA33) 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.