Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Main-belt Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. state of Massachusetts (174.32 km diameter)
  • Not a Near Earth Object
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

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

Aletheia orbits the sun every 2,020 days (5.53 years), coming as close as 2.72 AU and reaching as far as 3.54 AU from the sun. Aletheia is about 174.3 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the U.S. state of Massachusetts.

The rotation of Aletheia has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 8.14 hours.

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

No Close Approaches

Aletheia's orbit is 1.71 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

Aletheia's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 12, 1898. It was last officially observed on May 5, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 3,778 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 Aletheia:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 3.131 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1297
  • Inclination: 10.81°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 86.79°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 166.65°
  • Mean Anomaly: 245.9°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 174.31800 km
  • Magnitude: 7.88
  • Albedo: 0.043
  • Spectral type (Tholen): CP
  • Spectral type (SMASS): X

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 2,020 days (5.53 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 16.86 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.54 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.72 AU
  • Rotation Period: 8.14 hours
  • Approx. Composition: iron, nickel, and cobalt.

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Aletheia 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.