Kalliope

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Main-belt Asteroid
• Comparable in size to the U.S. state of Massachusetts (167.54 km diameter)
• Not a Near Earth Object
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

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

Kalliope orbits the sun every 1,810 days (4.96 years), coming as close as 2.62 AU and reaching as far as 3.20 AU from the sun. Kalliope is about 167.5 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the U.S. state of Massachusetts.

The rotation of Kalliope has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 4.15 hours.

Kalliope's spectral type M (Tholen) / X (SMASSII) indicates that it is likely to contain iron, nickel, and cobalt.

No Close Approaches

Kalliope's orbit is 1.64 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

Kalliope's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 14, 1854. It was last officially observed on July 4, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 11,521 observations used to determine its orbit.

Scientists have been able to determine this object's shape:

View asteroid Kalliope in 3D.

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 Kalliope:

• 231 Vindobona (A882 RB)
• 238 Hypatia (A884 NA)
• 307 Nike (A891 EB)

References

• JPL Small Body Database
• Mission Design
• Sky Finder Chart

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Kalliope 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.