Key Facts
- Categorized as a Outer Main-belt Asteroid
- Comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay (4.79 km diameter)
- Not a Near Earth Object
- Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
- See orbit simulation
Overview
Delphi is a mid-sized asteroid that orbits between Mars and Jupiter in the outer reaches of the main asteroid belt. NASA JPL has not classified Delphi as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.
Delphi orbits the sun every 2,900 days (7.94 years), coming as close as 2.94 AU and reaching as far as 5.02 AU from the sun. Delphi is about 4.8 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the San Francisco Bay.
No Close Approaches
Delphi's orbit is 1.94 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
Delphi's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Aug. 10, 1994. It was last officially observed on May 14, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 384 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 Delphi:References
Search
or view a random objectOrbital Elements
- Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
- Semi-major axis: 3.982 AU
- Eccentricity: 0.2612
- Inclination: 1.9°
- Longitude of Ascending Node: 246.94°
- Argument of Periapsis: 113.07°
- Mean Anomaly: 222.93°
Physical Characteristics
- Diameter: 4.78500 km
- Magnitude: 14.93
- Albedo: 0.122
Derived Characteristics
- Orbit Period: 2,900 days (7.94 years)
- Avg. Orbit Speed: 14.94 km/s
- Aphelion Distance: 5.02 AU
- Perihelion Distance: 2.94 AU
Map Comparison
Orbit Simulation
Sky Map
The position of Delphi 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.
Size Rendering
The above comparison is an artistic rendering that uses available data on the diameter of Delphi to create an approximate landscape rendering with Mount Everest in the background. This approximation is built for full-resolution desktop browsers. Shape, color, and texture of asteroid are imagined.
