Key Facts

Overview

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

Sofievka orbits the sun every 1,270 days (3.48 years), coming as close as 1.87 AU and reaching as far as 2.72 AU from the sun. Sofievka is about 17.2 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Philadelphia.

The rotation of Sofievka has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 31.60 hours.

No Close Approaches

Sofievka's orbit is 0.85 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is a very 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

Sofievka's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 12, 1929. It was last officially observed on June 30, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 4,712 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 Sofievka:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.294 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.185
  • Inclination: 4.68°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 280.25°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 12.08°
  • Mean Anomaly: 11.32°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 17.20800 km
  • Magnitude: 12.7
  • Albedo: 0.039

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,270 days (3.48 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 19.65 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.72 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.87 AU
  • Rotation Period: 31.60 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Sofievka 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.