Tarter

74824 Tarter (1999 TJ16)

Space Reference » Main-belt Asteroids » Tarter

Key Facts

Overview

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

Tarter orbits the sun every 1,340 days (3.67 years), coming as close as 1.95 AU and reaching as far as 2.81 AU from the sun. Tarter is about 4.1 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the island of Manhattan.

No Close Approaches

Tarter's orbit is 0.96 AU from Earth's orbit at its closest point. This means that there is a very 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

Tarter's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Nov. 4, 1988. It was last officially observed on May 21, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 1,200 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 Tarter:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.38 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1801
  • Inclination: 3.63°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 78.4°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 302.29°
  • Mean Anomaly: 187.6°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 4.07500 km
  • Magnitude: 15.87
  • Albedo: 0.082

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,340 days (3.67 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 19.32 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.81 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.95 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of Tarter 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 Tarter 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.