5776 (1989 UT2)

Key Facts

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

Overview

5776 (1989 UT2) is a mid-sized asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter in the main portion of the asteroid belt. NASA JPL has not classified 1989 UT2 as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

1989 UT2 orbits the sun every 1,510 days (4.13 years), coming as close as 2.14 AU and reaching as far as 3.01 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 1989 UT2 is probably between 6.318 to 14.127 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay.

The rotation of 1989 UT2 has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 4.34 hours.

No Close Approaches

1989 UT2's orbit is 1.15 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

1989 UT2's orbit is determined by observations dating back to June 1, 1984. It was last officially observed on Feb. 17, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 3,462 observations used to determine its orbit.

Scientists have been able to determine this object's shape:

View asteroid 5776 (1989 UT2) in 3D.

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 1989 UT2:

• 5 Astraea (A845 XA)
• 13 Egeria (A850 VA)
• 101 Helena (A868 PA)

References

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

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 5776 (1989 UT2) 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.