Garradd

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Mars-crossing Asteroid
• Comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay
• Not a Near Earth Object
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

Garradd is a mid-sized asteroid with an orbit that crosses the orbit of Mars. NASA JPL has not classified Garradd as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

Garradd orbits the sun every 984 days (2.69 years), coming as close as 1.64 AU and reaching as far as 2.24 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, Garradd is probably between 3.824 to 8.551 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay.

No Close Approaches

Garradd's orbit is 0.62 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

Garradd's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Jan. 3, 1954. It was last officially observed on Aug. 19, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 2,213 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 Garradd:

• 434 Hungaria (A898 RB)
• 1103 Sequoia (1928 VB)
• 1919 Clemence (1971 SA)

References

• JPL Small Body Database
• Mission Design
• Sky Finder Chart

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Garradd 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 Garradd 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.