Key Facts

Overview

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

Norma orbits the sun every 2,070 days (5.67 years), coming as close as 2.69 AU and reaching as far as 3.67 AU from the sun. Norma is about 31.0 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Dallas.

The rotation of Norma has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 19.51 hours.

Norma's spectral type None (Tholen) / B (SMASSII) indicates that it is likely to contain hydrogen, nitrogen, ammonia, and iron.

No Close Approaches

Norma's orbit is 1.70 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

Norma's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Jan. 15, 1905. It was last officially observed on April 15, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 6,681 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 Norma:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 3.178 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.155
  • Inclination: 2.67°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 130.19°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 1.06°
  • Mean Anomaly: 359.79°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 31.04000 km
  • Magnitude: 10.96
  • Albedo: 0.119
  • Spectral type (SMASS): B

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 2,070 days (5.67 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 16.70 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.67 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.69 AU
  • Rotation Period: 19.51 hours
  • Approx. Composition: hydrogen, nitrogen, ammonia, and iron.

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Norma 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.