Key Facts

Overview

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

Kentarohirata orbits the sun every 1,990 days (5.45 years), coming as close as 2.48 AU and reaching as far as 3.72 AU from the sun. Kentarohirata is about 19.2 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Philadelphia.

The rotation of Kentarohirata has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 11.28 hours.

No Close Approaches

Kentarohirata's orbit is 1.49 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

Kentarohirata's orbit is determined by observations dating back to July 10, 1991. It was last officially observed on June 21, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 3,359 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 Kentarohirata:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 3.099 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.2012
  • Inclination: 8.94°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 273.47°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 293.92°
  • Mean Anomaly: 24.55°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 19.17200 km
  • Magnitude: 12.43
  • Albedo: 0.076

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,990 days (5.45 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 16.94 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 3.72 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.48 AU
  • Rotation Period: 11.28 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Kentarohirata 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.