Key Facts
- Categorized as a Main-belt Asteroid
- Comparable in size to the city of Cleveland, Ohio (14.24 km diameter)
- Not a Near Earth Object
- Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
- See orbit simulation
Overview
Kani is a large asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter in the main portion of the asteroid belt. NASA JPL has not classified Kani as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.
Kani orbits the sun every 1,380 days (3.78 years), coming as close as 1.94 AU and reaching as far as 2.91 AU from the sun. Kani is about 14.2 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Cleveland, Ohio.
The rotation of Kani has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 5.73 hours.
Kani's spectral type None (Tholen) / C (SMASSII) indicates that it is likely to contain water, iron, nickel, cobalt, nitrogen, and ammonia.
No Close Approaches
Kani's orbit is 0.95 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
Kani's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 29, 1940. It was last officially observed on July 4, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 3,645 observations used to determine its orbit.
Scientists have been able to determine this object's shape:
View asteroid Kani in 3D.
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 Kani:References
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or view a random objectOrbital Elements
- Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
- Semi-major axis: 2.428 AU
- Eccentricity: 0.2
- Inclination: 4.36°
- Longitude of Ascending Node: 127.13°
- Argument of Periapsis: 243.25°
- Mean Anomaly: 353.06°
Physical Characteristics
- Diameter: 14.24400 km
- Magnitude: 13.26
- Albedo: 0.056
- Spectral type (SMASS): C
Derived Characteristics
- Orbit Period: 1,380 days (3.78 years)
- Avg. Orbit Speed: 19.14 km/s
- Aphelion Distance: 2.91 AU
- Perihelion Distance: 1.94 AU
- Rotation Period: 5.73 hours
- Approx. Composition: water, iron, nickel, cobalt, nitrogen, and ammonia.
Map Comparison
Orbit Simulation
Sky Map
The position of Kani 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.