Key Facts

Overview

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

Mistral orbits the sun every 1,820 days (4.98 years), coming as close as 2.76 AU and reaching as far as 3.08 AU from the sun. Mistral is about 9.3 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay.

The rotation of Mistral has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 5.15 hours.

No Close Approaches

Mistral's orbit is 1.75 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

Mistral's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 13, 1955. It was last officially observed on June 5, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 4,331 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 Mistral:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.921 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.0538
  • Inclination: 2.51°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 143.05°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 139.17°
  • Mean Anomaly: 262.44°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 9.28500 km
  • Magnitude: 12.52
  • Albedo: 0.296

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,820 days (4.98 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 17.46 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.08 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.76 AU
  • Rotation Period: 5.15 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Mistral 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.