Key Facts

Overview

Chicago is a large asteroid that orbits between Mars and Jupiter in the outer reaches of the main asteroid belt. NASA JPL has not classified Chicago as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

Chicago orbits the sun every 2,810 days (7.69 years), coming as close as 3.80 AU and reaching as far as 4.00 AU from the sun. Chicago is about 198.8 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the U.S. state of Maryland.

The rotation of Chicago has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 7.36 hours.

Chicago's spectral type C (Tholen) / None (SMASSII) indicates that it is likely to contain water, iron, nickel, cobalt, nitrogen, and ammonia.

No Close Approaches

Chicago's orbit is 2.78 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

Chicago's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Aug. 24, 1892. It was last officially observed on July 4, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 4,221 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 Chicago:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 3.899 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0254
  • Inclination: 4.64°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 130.13°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 156.64°
  • Mean Anomaly: 75.93°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 198.77000 km
  • Magnitude: 7.72
  • Albedo: 0.041
  • Spectral type (Tholen): C

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 2,810 days (7.69 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 15.10 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 4.00 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 3.80 AU
  • Rotation Period: 7.36 hours
  • Approx. Composition: water, iron, nickel, cobalt, nitrogen, and ammonia.

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Chicago 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.