Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Main-belt Asteroid
  • Comparable in size to the U.S. state of Rhode Island (69.62 km diameter)
  • Not a Near Earth Object
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

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

Lotis orbits the sun every 1,540 days (4.22 years), coming as close as 2.28 AU and reaching as far as 2.93 AU from the sun. Lotis is about 69.6 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the U.S. state of Rhode Island.

The rotation of Lotis has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 13.58 hours.

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

No Close Approaches

Lotis's orbit is 1.29 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

Lotis's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 12, 1901. It was last officially observed on July 4, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 7,146 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 Lotis:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.607 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1242
  • Inclination: 9.54°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 219.92°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 169.15°
  • Mean Anomaly: 336.6°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 69.62000 km
  • Magnitude: 10.05
  • Albedo: 0.0430
  • Spectral type (Tholen): C

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,540 days (4.22 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 18.42 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.93 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.28 AU
  • Rotation Period: 13.58 hours
  • Approx. Composition: water, iron, nickel, cobalt, nitrogen, and ammonia.

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Lotis 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.