Key Facts

Overview

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

Bacon orbits the sun every 1,700 days (4.65 years), coming as close as 2.14 AU and reaching as far as 3.43 AU from the sun. Bacon is about 9.0 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay.

No Close Approaches

Bacon's orbit is 1.16 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

Bacon's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 24, 1960. It was last officially observed on May 17, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 1,841 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 Bacon:

References

Search

   or view a random object

Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.787 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.2315
  • Inclination: 6.44°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 273.65°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 117.06°
  • Mean Anomaly: 183.13°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 8.95300 km
  • Magnitude: 14.4
  • Albedo: 0.055

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,700 days (4.65 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 17.84 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.43 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.14 AU

Map Comparison

Click to load map

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Bacon 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.