Ulula

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Main-belt Asteroid
• Comparable in size to the U.S. state of Rhode Island (41.34 km diameter)
• Not a Near Earth Object
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

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

Ulula orbits the sun every 1,470 days (4.02 years), coming as close as 2.39 AU and reaching as far as 2.68 AU from the sun. Ulula is about 41.3 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the U.S. state of Rhode Island.

The rotation of Ulula has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 7.00 hours.

No Close Approaches

Ulula's orbit is 1.43 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

Ulula's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 18, 1911. It was last officially observed on May 10, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 4,723 observations used to determine its orbit.

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

View asteroid Ulula 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 Ulula:

• 292 Ludovica (A890 HB)
• 355 Gabriella (A893 BD)
• 421 Zahringia (A896 RE)

References

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

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Ulula 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.