Key Facts

Overview

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

Bobone orbits the sun every 1,690 days (4.63 years), coming as close as 2.55 AU and reaching as far as 3.01 AU from the sun. Bobone is about 16.2 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Philadelphia.

The rotation of Bobone has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 4.99 hours.

Bobone's spectral type None (Tholen) / Xe (SMASSII) indicates that it is likely to contain iron, nickel, and cobalt.

No Close Approaches

Bobone's orbit is 1.56 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

Bobone's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Feb. 13, 1932. It was last officially observed on Feb. 1, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 4,686 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 Bobone:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.782 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0835
  • Inclination: 10.3°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 129.73°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 102.05°
  • Mean Anomaly: 191.17°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 16.19300 km
  • Magnitude: 11.82
  • Albedo: 0.273
  • Spectral type (SMASS): Xe

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,690 days (4.63 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 17.91 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.01 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.55 AU
  • Rotation Period: 4.99 hours
  • Approx. Composition: iron, nickel, and cobalt.

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Bobone 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.