Key Facts

Overview

Collins is a mid-sized asteroid circling the sun between Mars and Jupiter, inside the main asteroid belt. NASA JPL does not treat Collins as potentially hazardous, because its orbit never carries it near Earth.

One lap around the sun takes Collins 1,390 days (3.81 years). Over that circuit it swings between 2.13 AU and 2.73 AU from the sun, travelling at an average of 19.05 km/s. At 9.0 kilometers across, Collins is bigger than 99% of known asteroids — roughly the size of the San Francisco Bay.

No Close Approaches

At their nearest, the orbits of Collins and Earth stay 1.15 AU apart. That is a comfortable margin, and it holds at every point in the orbit.

Orbital simulations run by NASA JPL's CNEOS turn up no close approaches to Earth.

Images and Observations

The orbit of Collins is pinned down by sightings going back to Dec. 1, 1951, the most recent officially logged on Oct. 21, 2022. The IAU Minor Planet Center holds 3,024 observations behind that solution.

Accessibility and Exploration

The NHATS study does not rate Collins as a realistic destination for a crewed mission.

Similar Objects

These objects follow orbits with much the same shape and tilt as Collins:

References

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Orbital Elements

  • Epoch: 2460200.5 JD
  • Semi-major axis: 2.434 AU
  • Eccentricity: 0.123
  • Inclination: 2.67°
  • Longitude of Ascending Node: 165.83°
  • Argument of Periapsis: 328.49°
  • Mean Anomaly: 270.52°

Physical Characteristics

  • Diameter: 8.97600 km
  • Magnitude: 14.02
  • Albedo: 0.036

Derived Characteristics

  • Orbit Period: 1,390 days (3.81 years)
  • Avg. Orbit Speed: 19.05 km/s
  • Aphelion Distance: 2.73 AU
  • Perihelion Distance: 2.13 AU

Map Comparison

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Orbit Simulation

Sky Map

A ◯ pink circle marks where Collins sits. It may fall outside your current field of view — use the controls below to change the position, location and time.