Key Facts
- Categorized as a Apollo-class Asteroid
- Comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge (1.02 km diameter)
- Will pass within 17,952,794 km of Earth in 2024
- Classified as a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA)
- Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
- See orbit simulation
Overview
Bacchus is a mid-sized asteroid whose orbit crosses the orbit of Earth. NASA JPL has classified Bacchus as a "Near Earth Asteroid" due to its orbit's proximity to Earth, but it is not considered potentially hazardous because computer simulations have not indicated any imminent likelihood of future collision.
Bacchus orbits the sun every 409 days (1.12 years), coming as close as 0.70 AU and reaching as far as 1.45 AU from the sun. Bacchus is about 1.0 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the Golden Gate Bridge.
The rotation of Bacchus has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 14.90 hours.
Bacchus's spectral type None (Tholen) / Sq (SMASSII) indicates that it is likely to contain and .
Close Approaches
Bacchus's orbit is 0.07 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is a wide berth between this asteroid and Earth at all times.
Bacchus has 20 close approaches predicted in the coming decades:
| Date | Distance from Earth (km) | Velocity (km/s) |
|---|---|---|
| March 31, 2024 | 17,952,794 | 8.527 |
| Sept. 14, 2031 | 18,889,920 | 12.763 |
| April 1, 2043 | 10,571,304 | 10.343 |
| Sept. 17, 2050 | 16,387,355 | 11.641 |
| April 1, 2062 | 10,538,137 | 10.331 |
| Sept. 16, 2069 | 17,159,710 | 12.116 |
| March 31, 2081 | 10,650,199 | 10.249 |
| Sept. 16, 2088 | 16,543,269 | 11.809 |
| April 1, 2100 | 10,149,857 | 10.481 |
| Sept. 18, 2107 | 16,826,147 | 11.992 |
| April 2, 2119 | 14,821,466 | 9.070 |
| Sept. 11, 2126 | 24,703,504 | 14.443 |
| Oct. 19, 2136 | 29,137,975 | 8.946 |
| April 6, 2138 | 26,366,243 | 7.560 |
| April 7, 2148 | 24,889,103 | 15.291 |
| Oct. 2, 2155 | 20,683,077 | 8.999 |
| April 5, 2167 | 13,508,756 | 12.768 |
| Sept. 26, 2174 | 16,984,104 | 9.864 |
| April 4, 2186 | 13,028,957 | 12.653 |
| Sept. 26, 2193 | 17,329,916 | 9.708 |
Images and Observations
Bacchus's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 24, 1977. It was last officially observed on July 13, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 994 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 Bacchus:References
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or view a random objectOrbital Elements
- Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
- Semi-major axis: 1.078 AU
- Eccentricity: 0.3494
- Inclination: 9.43°
- Longitude of Ascending Node: 33.06°
- Argument of Periapsis: 55.35°
- Mean Anomaly: 250.32°
Physical Characteristics
- Diameter: 1.02400 km
- Magnitude: 17.23
- Albedo: 0.203
- Spectral type (SMASS): Sq
Derived Characteristics
- Orbit Period: 409 days (1.12 years)
- Avg. Orbit Speed: 28.67 km/s
- Aphelion Distance: 1.45 AU
- Perihelion Distance: 0.70 AU
- Rotation Period: 14.90 hours
- Approx. Composition: and .
Map Comparison
Orbit Simulation
Sky Map
The position of Bacchus 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.
Size Rendering
The above comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of Bacchus to create an approximate landscape rendering with Mount Everest in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.
