van Zyl

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Mars-crossing Asteroid
• Comparable in size to the island of Manhattan
• Not a Near Earth Object
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

van Zyl is a mid-sized asteroid with an orbit that crosses the orbit of Mars. NASA JPL has not classified van Zyl as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

van Zyl orbits the sun every 1,160 days (3.18 years), coming as close as 1.53 AU and reaching as far as 2.78 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, van Zyl is probably between 2.941 to 6.577 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the island of Manhattan.

The rotation of van Zyl has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 6.29 hours.

No Close Approaches

van Zyl's orbit is 0.53 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

van Zyl's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Aug. 30, 1976. It was last officially observed on June 21, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 2,471 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 van Zyl:

• 1818 Brahms (1939 PE)
• 1917 Cuyo (1968 AA)
• 1988 Delores (1952 SV)

References

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

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of van Zyl 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 van Zyl 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.