Key Facts

Overview

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

Las Cruces orbits the sun every 2,070 days (5.67 years), coming as close as 2.62 AU and reaching as far as 3.73 AU from the sun. Las Cruces is about 13.5 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Cleveland, Ohio.

No Close Approaches

Las Cruces's orbit is 1.68 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

Las Cruces's orbit is determined by observations dating back to March 23, 1985. It was last officially observed on April 7, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 2,340 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 Las Cruces:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 3.177 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1738
  • Inclination: 14.8°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 40.97°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 62.91°
  • Mean Anomaly: 15.81°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 13.49200 km
  • Magnitude: 13.02
  • Albedo: 0.061

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 2,070 days (5.67 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 16.70 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.73 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.62 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Las Cruces 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.