Beksha

21503 Beksha (1998 KL18)

Space Reference » Main-belt Asteroids » Beksha

Key Facts

Overview

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

Beksha orbits the sun every 1,470 days (4.02 years), coming as close as 2.25 AU and reaching as far as 2.81 AU from the sun. Beksha is about 2.6 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to Mount Everest.

No Close Approaches

Beksha's orbit is 1.25 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

Beksha's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Aug. 26, 1995. It was last officially observed on June 23, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 1,350 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 Beksha:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.533 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.11
  • Inclination: 5.33°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 28.82°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 175.5°
  • Mean Anomaly: 122.53°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 2.64300 km
  • Magnitude: 15.06
  • Albedo: 0.364

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,470 days (4.02 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 18.75 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.81 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.25 AU

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

⧉

Sky Map

The position of Beksha 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 Beksha 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.