Laotse

7854 Laotse (1076 T-3)

Space Reference » Main-belt Asteroids » Laotse

Key Facts

Overview

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

Laotse orbits the sun every 1,240 days (3.39 years), coming as close as 1.85 AU and reaching as far as 2.66 AU from the sun. Laotse is about 3.2 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the island of Manhattan.

No Close Approaches

Laotse's orbit is 0.86 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

Laotse's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Aug. 15, 1953. It was last officially observed on June 10, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 2,842 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 Laotse:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.254 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1813
  • Inclination: 6.65°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 308.46°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 63.34°
  • Mean Anomaly: 211.17°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 3.15100 km
  • Magnitude: 14.07
  • Albedo: 0.339

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,240 days (3.39 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 19.78 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.66 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.85 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of Laotse 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 Laotse 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.