Key Facts

Overview

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

Brucia orbits the sun every 1,340 days (3.67 years), coming as close as 1.67 AU and reaching as far as 3.10 AU from the sun. Brucia is about 27.7 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Indianapolis.

The rotation of Brucia has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 9.46 hours.

No Close Approaches

Brucia's orbit is 0.81 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

Brucia's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Dec. 22, 1891. It was last officially observed on July 5, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 3,656 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 Brucia:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.382 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.2998
  • Inclination: 24.26°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 97.29°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 291.59°
  • Mean Anomaly: 335.86°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 27.71400 km
  • Magnitude: 9.55
  • Albedo: 0.295
  • Spectral type (Tholen): S

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,340 days (3.67 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 19.34 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.10 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.67 AU
  • Rotation Period: 9.46 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Brucia 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.