Key Facts

Overview

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

Lucy orbits the sun every 1,900 days (5.20 years), coming as close as 2.36 AU and reaching as far as 3.64 AU from the sun. Lucy is about 7.2 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay.

No Close Approaches

Lucy's orbit is 1.34 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

Lucy's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 26, 1979. It was last officially observed on Jan. 13, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 2,386 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 Lucy:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.998 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.214
  • Inclination: 5.44°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 48.43°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 212.05°
  • Mean Anomaly: 170.49°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 7.20500 km
  • Magnitude: 14.33
  • Albedo: 0.061

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,900 days (5.20 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 17.17 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.64 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.36 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Lucy 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.