Key Facts
- Categorized as a Main-belt Asteroid
- Comparable in size to the island of Manhattan (4.50 km diameter)
- Not a Near Earth Object
- Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
- See orbit simulation
Overview
Virgiugum is a mid-sized asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter in the main portion of the asteroid belt. NASA JPL has not classified Virgiugum as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.
Virgiugum orbits the sun every 1,240 days (3.39 years), coming as close as 1.74 AU and reaching as far as 2.77 AU from the sun. Virgiugum is about 4.5 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the island of Manhattan.
The rotation of Virgiugum has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 5.84 hours.
No Close Approaches
Virgiugum's orbit is 0.73 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
Virgiugum's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 2, 1934. It was last officially observed on Dec. 26, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 2,986 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 Virgiugum:References
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or view a random objectOrbital Elements
- Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
- Semi-major axis: 2.257 AU
- Eccentricity: 0.2289
- Inclination: 4.53°
- Longitude of Ascending Node: 166.74°
- Argument of Periapsis: 181.31°
- Mean Anomaly: 80.97°
Physical Characteristics
- Diameter: 4.49600 km
- Magnitude: 14.07
- Albedo: 0.317
Derived Characteristics
- Orbit Period: 1,240 days (3.39 years)
- Avg. Orbit Speed: 19.80 km/s
- Aphelion Distance: 2.77 AU
- Perihelion Distance: 1.74 AU
- Rotation Period: 5.84 hours
Map Comparison
Orbit Simulation
Sky Map
The position of Virgiugum 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 Virgiugum 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.
