Asteroid · 52246

Donaldjohanson

Lucy’s main-belt encounter

Lucy flew past Donaldjohanson in April 2025. Its images resolved an elongated body while testing the instruments for the later Trojan encounters.

52246 Donaldjohanson · spacecraft or telescope observation — Lucy view of Donaldjohanson from the April 2025 encounter. NASA/Goddard/SwRI/Johns Hopkins APL/NOIRLab · Image source ↗

Measurements

Effective diameter: 3.895 km
Semimajor axis: 2.384 AU
Orbital period: 1,344.352 Earth days

Orbit, physical values and uncertainties

eccentricity: .1868593763038477 ± 2.6369E-9
semi-major axis: 2.383835831129859 au ± 5.1849E-9
perihelion distance: 1.938393754514169 au ± 2.9758E-9
inclination; angle with respect to x-y ecliptic plane: 4.425205239728406 deg ± 9.7445E-8
longitude of the ascending node: 262.7765342454273 deg ± 2.8826E-6
argument of perihelion: 212.8821499078564 deg ± 3.6681E-6
mean anomaly: 147.8525890028124 deg ± 3.8808E-6
time of perihelion passage: 2460648.372504992499 TDB ± 1.2827E-5
sidereal orbital period: 1344.351827338779 d ± 4.386E-6
mean motion: .267787042557632 deg/d ± 8.7367E-10
aphelion distance: 2.829277907745548 au ± 6.1538E-9
absolute magnitude: 15.61
diameter: 3.895 km ± 0.013
geometric albedo: 0.103 ± 0.019

Published JPL orbital elements describe their stated epoch; they are not current positions. Small-body diameters can be effective/model-dependent sizes, not spherical shapes. Missing measurements remain unavailable. Pluto’s diameter uses the New Horizons reference rather than an empty SBDB field. Orbital epoch: JD 2461200.5 TDB.

Object reference ↗

Missions & milestones

1 launches · 10 connected events

These are target-related flights and every connected programme record in the production catalogue. A connected event may concern another stage or target of the same journey. Launch outcome does not establish arrival or current operation.

CONNECTED EVENT · UPCOMING