Key Facts

Overview

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

Tvashtri orbits the sun every 940 days (2.57 years), coming as close as 1.78 AU and reaching as far as 1.98 AU from the sun. Tvashtri is about 3.3 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the island of Manhattan.

The rotation of Tvashtri has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 4.09 hours.

No Close Approaches

Tvashtri's orbit is 0.79 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

Tvashtri's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Feb. 15, 1977. It was last officially observed on June 28, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 3,201 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 Tvashtri:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 1.878 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0542
  • Inclination: 22.86°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 125.27°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 358.29°
  • Mean Anomaly: 76.3°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 3.25900 km
  • Magnitude: 13.53
  • Albedo: 0.561
  • Spectral type (Tholen): X

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 940 days (2.57 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 21.73 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 1.98 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.78 AU
  • Rotation Period: 4.09 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Tvashtri 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 Tvashtri 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.