SpaceAtlas Space Object Data
NASA JPL SBDB · 4957

Brucemurray

Brucemurray is an Amor-type near-Earth asteroid that approaches Earth from beyond our orbit without crossing it, orbiting the Sun at 1.566 AU once every 1.96 yr.

Amor Observations: 2,654
Encyclopedia excerpt
4957 Brucemurray, provisional designation 1990 XJ, is a stony asteroid, classified as near-Earth object of the Amor group and as Mars-crosser, approximately 3 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered by American astronomer Eleanor Helin at the Palomar Observatory in California on 15 December 1990. The asteroid was named after American planetary scientist Bruce C. Murray.
Orbital Period · P
1.96 yr
v(q)
29.7 km/s
v(Q)
19.1 km/s
Diameter · ≈
3.47 km
TJ
4.2
Eccentricity · e
0.2188

Orbit and dynamics

The path is an ellipse reaching 1.223 AU from the Sun at perihelion and 1.909 AU at aphelion, a radial span of 0.686 AU.

Applying Kepler's third law to a = 1.566 AU gives an orbital period of 1.96 yr, or about 716 days.

An eccentricity of 0.219 makes the orbit moderately elongated.

A steep inclination of 35.01° carries it well above and below the ecliptic plane.

By the vis-viva equation its orbital speed rises to 29.7 km/s at perihelion and falls to 19.1 km/s at aphelion.

Its perihelion lies just outside Earth's orbit, which is why it is classed as Earth-approaching rather than Earth-crossing.

Size and surface

The measured diameter is 3.5 km, a value from direct size determination rather than from brightness alone.

A geometric albedo of 0.132 points to a comparatively bright, reflective surface.

Observation record and orbit quality

The current orbit solution is based on 2,654 observations and has a weighted RMS residual of 0.4277 arcseconds.

Condition code U = 0 means the orbit is very well determined, leaving only a small uncertainty in the future ephemeris.

About these computed values

Orbital periods, perihelion and aphelion speeds, and diameter estimates on this page are computed by SpaceAtlas from the JPL SBDB orbital elements. They are derived quantities, not values copied from the source catalogue.

Orbital Parameters

Semi-Major Axis
1.566 AU
Eccentricity
0.2188
Perihelion
1.223 AU
Aphelion
1.908641 AU
Inclination
35.01°
Orbital Period
— yr
Epoch
2461200.5
Mean Anomaly
92.4°

Orbit diagram

The Sun sits at the focus (orange). Earth's orbit is the grey circle at 1 AU. The red dot marks the object's position at the catalog epoch.

3D orbit (interactive)

Drag to rotate; scroll or pinch to zoom. The Sun is at the focus (orange), Earth's orbit is the grey ring at 1 AU, and the red dot marks the object's current position.

Close approaches

No close approaches to Earth are currently on record for this object.

Physical Parameters

Diameter
3.499 km
Albedo
0.132
Density
— g/cm³
Rotation Period
— h
Absolute Magnitude
15.05

Orbit Quality

RMS
0.42773
Condition
0
Orbit ID
—
Data source: NASA JPL Small-Body Database . Orbital periods, perihelion and aphelion speeds, and diameter estimates on this page are computed by SpaceAtlas from the JPL SBDB orbital elements. They are derived quantities, not values copied from the source catalogue.

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