Key Facts
- Categorized as a Main-belt Asteroid
- Comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay (5.02 km diameter)
- Not a Near Earth Object
- Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
- See orbit simulation
Overview
Mercator is a mid-sized asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter in the main portion of the asteroid belt. NASA JPL has not classified Mercator as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.
Mercator orbits the sun every 1,190 days (3.26 years), coming as close as 1.95 AU and reaching as far as 2.44 AU from the sun. Mercator is about 5.0 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay.
No Close Approaches
Mercator's orbit is 0.94 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
Mercator's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Dec. 22, 1954. It was last officially observed on April 15, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 3,386 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 Mercator:References
Search
or view a random objectOrbital Elements
- Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
- Semi-major axis: 2.197 AU
- Eccentricity: 0.1104
- Inclination: 3.66°
- Longitude of Ascending Node: 93.55°
- Argument of Periapsis: 161.14°
- Mean Anomaly: 260.41°
Physical Characteristics
- Diameter: 5.01800 km
- Magnitude: 13.67
- Albedo: 0.306
Derived Characteristics
- Orbit Period: 1,190 days (3.26 years)
- Avg. Orbit Speed: 20.09 km/s
- Aphelion Distance: 2.44 AU
- Perihelion Distance: 1.95 AU
Map Comparison
Orbit Simulation
Sky Map
The position of Mercator 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.
Size Rendering
The above comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of Mercator to create an approximate landscape rendering with Mount Everest in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.
