96080 (7649 P-L)

Key Facts

• Categorized as a Mars-crossing Asteroid
• Comparable in size to the U.S. Pentagon
• Not a Near Earth Object
• Not a Potentially Hazardous Object
• See orbit simulation

Overview

96080 (7649 P-L) is a mid-sized asteroid with an orbit that crosses the orbit of Mars. NASA JPL has not classified 7649 P-L as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

7649 P-L orbits the sun every 1,230 days (3.37 years), coming as close as 1.59 AU and reaching as far as 2.90 AU from the sun. Based on its brightness and the way it reflects light, 7649 P-L is probably between 1.118 to 2.501 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, very roughly comparable in size to the U.S. Pentagon.

No Close Approaches

7649 P-L's orbit is 0.58 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

7649 P-L's orbit is determined by observations dating back to Sept. 27, 1960. It was last officially observed on April 16, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 582 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 7649 P-L:

• 315 Constantia (A891 RB)
• 336 Lacadiera (A892 SA)
• 525 Adelaide (A908 UJ)

References

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

Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

The position of 96080 (7649 P-L) 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 7649 P-L 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.