9961 (1991 XK)

Mid-sized Main-belt Asteroid

Space Reference » Main-belt Asteroids » 9961 (1991 XK)

Key Facts

Overview

9961 (1991 XK) is a mid-sized asteroid orbiting between Mars and Jupiter in the main portion of the asteroid belt. NASA JPL has not classified 1991 XK as potentially hazardous because its orbit does not bring it close to Earth.

1991 XK orbits the sun every 1,230 days (3.37 years), coming as close as 2.00 AU and reaching as far as 2.48 AU from the sun. 1991 XK is about 3.4 kilometers in diameter, making it larger than 99% of asteroids, comparable in size to the island of Manhattan.

No Close Approaches

1991 XK's orbit is 1.01 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

1991 XK's orbit is determined by observations dating back to May 2, 1976. It was last officially observed on July 2, 2023. The IAU Minor Planet Center records 2,674 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 1991 XK:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.241 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.1064
  • Inclination: 4.86°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 239.84°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 290.94°
  • Mean Anomaly: 78.42°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 3.41700 km
  • Magnitude: 14.47
  • Albedo: 0.316

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,230 days (3.37 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 19.82 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.48 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.00 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

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Sky Map

The position of 9961 (1991 XK) 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 1991 XK 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.