Key Facts

  • Categorized as a Jupiter Trojan
  • Comparable in size to the city of Philadelphia (17.93 km diameter)
  • Not a Near Earth Object
  • Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
  • See orbit simulation

Overview

68725 (2002 ED3) is a large asteroid that shares Jupiter's orbit around the sun. NASA JPL has not classified 2002 ED3 as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

2002 ED3 orbits the sun every 4,330 days (11.85 years), coming as close as 4.64 AU and reaching as far as 5.76 AU from the sun. 2002 ED3 is about 17.9 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Philadelphia.

No Close Approaches

2002 ED3's orbit is 3.67 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

2002 ED3's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Dec. 13, 1988. It was last officially observed on Feb. 19, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 761 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 2002 ED3:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 5.198 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1072
  • Inclination: 13.06°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 25.81°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 131.02°
  • Mean Anomaly: 302.35°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 17.93400 km
  • Magnitude: 12.4
  • Albedo: 0.079

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 4,330 days (11.85 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 13.06 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 5.76 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 4.64 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 68725 (2002 ED3) 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.