Key Facts

Overview

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

Brucegoldberg orbits the sun every 1,970 days (5.39 years), coming as close as 2.55 AU and reaching as far as 3.61 AU from the sun. Brucegoldberg is about 33.3 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of New York.

The rotation of Brucegoldberg has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 16.43 hours.

No Close Approaches

Brucegoldberg's orbit is 1.62 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

Brucegoldberg's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Dec. 23, 1941. It was last officially observed on April 17, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 3,796 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 Brucegoldberg:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 3.08 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1707
  • Inclination: 15.96°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 90.94°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 93.46°
  • Mean Anomaly: 318.25°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 33.25000 km
  • Magnitude: 11.31
  • Albedo: 0.0698

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,970 days (5.39 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 17.01 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.61 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.55 AU
  • Rotation Period: 16.43 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Brucegoldberg 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.