Key Facts
- Categorized as a Main-belt Asteroid
- Comparable in size to the city of Indianapolis (29.19 km diameter)
- Not a Near Earth Object
- Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
- See orbit simulation
Overview
Pia is a large asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter in the main portion of the asteroid belt. NASA JPL has not classified Pia as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.
Pia orbits the sun every 1,620 days (4.44 years), coming as close as 2.40 AU and reaching as far as 2.99 AU from the sun. Pia is about 29.2 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Indianapolis.
The rotation of Pia has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 4.57 hours.
Pia's spectral type None (Tholen) / C (SMASSII) indicates that it is likely to contain water, iron, nickel, cobalt, nitrogen, and ammonia.
No Close Approaches
Pia's orbit is 1.42 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
Pia's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Oct. 11, 1906. It was last officially observed on July 4, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 4,009 observations used to determine its orbit.
Scientists have been able to determine this object's shape:
View asteroid Pia 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 Pia:References
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or view a random objectOrbital Elements
- Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
- Semi-major axis: 2.695 AU
- Eccentricity: 0.1085
- Inclination: 7.02°
- Longitude of Ascending Node: 217.05°
- Argument of Periapsis: 210.06°
- Mean Anomaly: 125.51°
Physical Characteristics
- Diameter: 29.19100 km
- Magnitude: 11.08
- Albedo: 0.094
- Spectral type (SMASS): C
Derived Characteristics
- Orbit Period: 1,620 days (4.44 years)
- Avg. Orbit Speed: 18.10 km/s
- Aphelion Distance: 2.99 AU
- Perihelion Distance: 2.40 AU
- Rotation Period: 4.57 hours
- Approx. Composition: water, iron, nickel, cobalt, nitrogen, and ammonia.
Map Comparison
Orbit Simulation
Sky Map
The position of Pia 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.