Asteroid 2 Pallas
2 Pallas is a large asteroid located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. It was discovered by German astronomer Heinrich Wilhelm Olbers on March 28, 1802 and is one of the largest asteroids in the solar system, with a diameter of approximately 544 kilometers. It has a highly irregular shape, with a large impact crater on one side that suggests it may have experienced a significant collision in its past. 2 Pallas has a relatively high density compared to other asteroids, indicating that it may be composed of a significant amount of metal or have a differentiated interior. It has a rotation period of about 7.8 hours and an orbital period of 4.6 Earth years. Because of its irregular shape and complex surface features, 2 Pallas is considered a challenging target for spacecraft missions. However, observations from Earth-based telescopes and the Hubble Space Telescope have provided valuable insights into its geology, composition, and history.
Asteroid 2 Pallas is currently in the constellation of Hercules, at a distance of 352,571,177 kilometers from Earth.
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Today's rise, transit and set times of Asteroid 2 Pallas from Greenwich, United Kingdom (all times relative to the local timezone Europe/London):
- 2 Pallas is below the horizon from Greenwich, United Kingdom .
- Given its current magnitude, 2 Pallas is visible with the help of a binocular with a 50mm aperture, easy with a small telescope.
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Asteroid 2 Pallas Position and Finder Charts
Field of view: 10x6 degrees
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Higher precision deep sky finder chart, 60 arcmin wide, showing where Asteroid 2 Pallas is right now. Click on the image to see a more detailed fullscreen tracker view.
Also check out Where is Asteroid 2 Pallas?, a page that provides all the information needed to find Asteroid 2 Pallas in the sky and additional links to sky charts.
Asteroid 2 Pallas Distance from Earth
The distance of Asteroid 2 Pallas from Earth is currently 352,571,177 kilometers, equivalent to 2.356793 Astronomical Units. Light takes 19 minutes and 36.0509 seconds to travel from Asteroid 2 Pallas and arrive to us.
The following chart shows the distance of Asteroid 2 Pallas from Earth as a function of time. In the chart the distance data is measured in Astronomical Units and sampled with an interval of 1 day.
The value of the reported distance might be somewhat inaccurate around the times of closest approach for objects passing extremely close to Earth. The value of the distance of 2 Pallas from Earth is also available as a real time updated value in the Live Position and Data Tracker.
Closest Approach of Asteroid 2 Pallas to Earth
Between 1 January 1600 and 30 December 2499, the closest approach of Asteroid 2 Pallas to Earth happens on Sat Feb 16 1608 at a distance of 1.193832 Astronomical Units, or 178,594,670 kilometers:
NOTE: values for the closest approach are computed with a sampling interval of 1 day.
Asteroid 2 Pallas Brightness and Light Curve
The following chart is the predicted light curve (visual magnitude as a function of time) of Asteroid 2 Pallas, according to the most recent ephemerides data. Magnitude data is sampled with a 2 days interval and there might be inaccuracies for objects changing brightness very rapidly during the course of a few days. For comets there could be large discrepancies between the observed and predicted brightness because of their highly dynamic behaviour.
Asteroid 2 Pallas Orbital Elements
The following table lists the orbital elements of Asteroid 2 Pallas at epoch 24 February 2023 00:00 UTC (JD: 2460000.5). Source: JPL Small-Body Database
Element | Symbol | Value |
---|---|---|
Orbit eccentricity | e | 0.23008437 |
Orbit inclination | i | 34.92703056° |
Perihelion distance | q | 2.13238273 AU 318,999,917 km |
Aphelion distance | Q |
3.40688064 AU 509,662,090 km |
Semi-major axis | a |
2.76963168 AU 414,331,003 km |
Orbital period | period |
4.6094 years 1,683.5711 days |
Date of perihelion transit | Tp | 2023-Mar-07 01:22:32 2,460,010.5573 JD |
Next perihelion transit | 2027-Oct-15 15:04 2,461,694.1284 JD |
|
Argument of perihelion | peri | 310.86479846644° |
Longitude of the ascending node | node | 172.918132705° |
Mean anomaly | M | 357.84943175674° |
Mean motion | n | 0.21383119°/day |
Visualization of Asteroid 2 Pallas Orbit
This 3d orbit diagram is a feature of our 3D Solar System Simulator and shows the orbit of Asteroid 2 Pallas with respect of the Sun and the orbits of the major planets. The position of Asteroid 2 Pallas and the planets along their orbits in this diagram accurately represents the current configuration of the objects in the Solar System. This is an experimental feature and it requires a WebGL enabled browser. Please provide us feedback!
View Asteroid 2 Pallas in the 3D Solar System Simulator
Asteroid 2 Pallas Physical Data
The following shows the known values of the most important physical parameters of Asteroid 2 Pallas. Source: JPL Small-Body Database
Physical Parameter | Value | Relative to Earth |
---|---|---|
Diameter | 545 km | 0.0428 |
Sideral Rotation | 7.8132 hours | 0.3264 |
Absolute Magnitude | 4.13 | |
Geometric Albedo | 0.1587 |
Asteroid 2 Pallas 15 Days Ephemeris
The following table lists the ephemerides of Asteroid 2 Pallas computed for the past and next 7 days, with a 24 hours interval. Click on each row of the table to locate Asteroid 2 Pallas in our Online Planetarium at the chosen date.
Date | Right AscensionR.A. | DeclinationDec. | MagnitudeMag | Constellation |
---|---|---|---|---|
2024 Mar 12 | 16h 42m 47s | +11° 39’ 24” | 9.33 | Hercules |
2024 Mar 13 | 16h 43m 21s | +11° 53’ 27” | 9.33 | Hercules |
2024 Mar 14 | 16h 43m 54s | +12° 07’ 36” | 9.32 | Hercules |
2024 Mar 15 | 16h 44m 25s | +12° 21’ 51” | 9.31 | Hercules |
2024 Mar 16 | 16h 44m 54s | +12° 36’ 11” | 9.30 | Hercules |
2024 Mar 17 | 16h 45m 23s | +12° 50’ 35” | 9.29 | Hercules |
2024 Mar 18 | 16h 45m 51s | +13° 05’ 04” | 9.29 | Hercules |
2024 Mar 19 | 16h 46m 17s | +13° 19’ 37” | 9.28 | Hercules |
2024 Mar 20 | 16h 46m 41s | +13° 34’ 14” | 9.27 | Hercules |
2024 Mar 21 | 16h 47m 03s | +13° 48’ 56” | 9.26 | Hercules |
2024 Mar 22 | 16h 47m 25s | +14° 03’ 41” | 9.25 | Hercules |
2024 Mar 23 | 16h 47m 45s | +14° 18’ 29” | 9.25 | Hercules |
2024 Mar 24 | 16h 48m 03s | +14° 33’ 20” | 9.24 | Hercules |
2024 Mar 25 | 16h 48m 20s | +14° 48’ 12” | 9.23 | Hercules |