Key Facts

Overview

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

Gawain orbits the sun every 1,860 days (5.09 years), coming as close as 2.67 AU and reaching as far as 3.25 AU from the sun. Gawain is about 18.0 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Philadelphia.

The rotation of Gawain has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 11.11 hours.

No Close Approaches

Gawain's orbit is 1.69 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

Gawain's orbit is determined by observations dating back to July 3, 1954. It was last officially observed on April 7, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 3,057 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 Gawain:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.964 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0979
  • Inclination: 3.78°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 293.02°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 188.17°
  • Mean Anomaly: 15.46°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 18.04200 km
  • Magnitude: 12.71
  • Albedo: 0.073

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,860 days (5.09 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 17.34 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.25 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.67 AU
  • Rotation Period: 11.11 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Gawain 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.