Key Facts

Overview

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

Wu Chien-Shiung orbits the sun every 1,920 days (5.26 years), coming as close as 2.68 AU and reaching as far as 3.37 AU from the sun. Wu Chien-Shiung is about 15.5 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Philadelphia.

The rotation of Wu Chien-Shiung has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 36.34 hours.

No Close Approaches

Wu Chien-Shiung's orbit is 1.69 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

Wu Chien-Shiung's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Aug. 26, 1933. It was last officially observed on July 4, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 4,168 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 Wu Chien-Shiung:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 3.025 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1131
  • Inclination: 10.13°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 186.29°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 198.15°
  • Mean Anomaly: 356.26°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 15.48400 km
  • Magnitude: 11.73
  • Albedo: 0.203

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,920 days (5.26 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 17.14 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.37 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.68 AU
  • Rotation Period: 36.34 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Wu Chien-Shiung 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.