Key Facts

Overview

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

Bethgea orbits the sun every 1,220 days (3.34 years), coming as close as 1.75 AU and reaching as far as 2.72 AU from the sun. Bethgea is about 11.4 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the city of Cleveland, Ohio.

The rotation of Bethgea has been observed. It completes a rotation on its axis every 7.54 hours.

No Close Approaches

Bethgea's orbit is 0.74 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

Bethgea's orbit is determined by observations dating back to April 3, 1916. It was last officially observed on July 5, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 4,603 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 Bethgea:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.232 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.2169
  • Inclination: 3.7°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 243.53°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 72.56°
  • Mean Anomaly: 344.63°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 11.38300 km
  • Magnitude: 11.79
  • Albedo: 0.254
  • Spectral type (Tholen): S

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,220 days (3.34 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 19.90 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.72 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 1.75 AU
  • Rotation Period: 7.54 hours

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of Bethgea 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.