Asteroid
101955 Bennu
A near-Earth asteroid sampled by NASA's OSIRIS-REx.
- Type
- Asteroid
- Domain
- Scientific connections
- Connections
- 12
NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona · Public domain
- Type: Asteroid
- Domain: Scientific connections
Orbit & physical parameters
Osculating orbit and physical parameters from the NASA JPL Small-Body Database · Apollo · near-Earth · potentially hazardous · epoch 2011-01-01 (JD 2455562.5 TDB) · Earth MOID 0.0032228 au
| Semi-major axis | 1.126391 ± 1.9673e-10 au | NASA JPL · calculated |
| Eccentricity | 0.203745 ± 6.9748e-11 | NASA JPL · calculated |
| Perihelion distance | 0.896894 ± 2.3047e-10 au | NASA JPL · calculated |
| Aphelion distance | 1.355888 ± 2.3681e-10 au | NASA JPL · calculated |
| Inclination | 6.034944 ± 6.8601e-9 deg | NASA JPL · calculated |
| Longitude of ascending node | 2.060866 ± 5.5577e-8 deg | NASA JPL · calculated |
| Argument of perihelion | 66.223061 ± 6.4419e-8 deg | NASA JPL · calculated |
| Orbital period | 436.648728 ± 1.1440e-7 d | NASA JPL · calculated |
| Diameter | 0.48444 ± 0.0003 km | NASA JPL · catalogued |
| Geometric albedo | 0.044 ± 0.002 | NASA JPL · estimated |
| Rotation period | 4.296061 ± 2.0000e-6 h | NASA JPL · catalogued |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 20.21 ± 0.03 mag | NASA JPL · catalogued |
Full field-level provenance
- Semi-major axis: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · orbit.elements · a · JPL orbit determination (least-squares fit to the observation arc) · calculated · JPL solution by Davide Farnocchia, 554 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Eccentricity: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · orbit.elements · e · JPL orbit determination (least-squares fit to the observation arc) · calculated · JPL solution by Davide Farnocchia, 554 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Perihelion distance: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · orbit.elements · q · JPL orbit determination (least-squares fit to the observation arc) · calculated · JPL solution by Davide Farnocchia, 554 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Aphelion distance: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · orbit.elements · ad · JPL orbit determination (least-squares fit to the observation arc) · calculated · JPL solution by Davide Farnocchia, 554 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Inclination: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · orbit.elements · i · JPL orbit determination (least-squares fit to the observation arc) · calculated · JPL solution by Davide Farnocchia, 554 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Longitude of ascending node: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · orbit.elements · om · JPL orbit determination (least-squares fit to the observation arc) · calculated · JPL solution by Davide Farnocchia, 554 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Argument of perihelion: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · orbit.elements · w · JPL orbit determination (least-squares fit to the observation arc) · calculated · JPL solution by Davide Farnocchia, 554 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Orbital period: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · orbit.elements · per · JPL orbit determination (least-squares fit to the observation arc) · calculated · JPL solution by Davide Farnocchia, 554 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Diameter: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · phys_par · phys.diameter · catalogued value · JPL solution by Davide Farnocchia, 554 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Geometric albedo: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · phys_par · phys.albedo · Bayesian estimate · JPL solution by Davide Farnocchia, 554 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Rotation period: Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · phys_par · phys.rot_per · catalogued value · JPL solution by Davide Farnocchia, 554 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
- Absolute magnitude (H): Jet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics · JPL SBDB · phys_par · phys.H · catalogued value · JPL solution by Davide Farnocchia, 554 obs · retrieved 2026-07-11
Orbital elements are a calculated JPL orbit-determination fit, all referred to the single osculating epoch above (solution by Davide Farnocchia); each carries its own uncertainty. Fields the database did not provide are omitted, never invented.
Experience system V6
Small-body profile
A catalog-first story for orbit class, discovery, physical parameters, and planetary-defense context when recorded.
- 01
Observe
WIKIMEDIA imagery anchors the visual reading with licensed source metadata.
- 02
Measure
Measurement panels use graph coverage, catalog identifiers, and source availability without inventing values.
- 03
Locate
Part of Solar System.
- 04
Connect
12 graph relations shape the knowledge viewport.
- Object type
- Asteroid
- Graph relations
- 12
- Verified sources
- 2
- Image records
- 1
- Domain
- Scientific connections
- Status
- Graph entity
Scientific map
Orbit context
- Primary orbital anchor
- The Sun
- Measured orbit field
- Orbital distance not recorded in this graph record
Original SVG diagram
Small-body anatomy
- Designation
- (101955) Bennu
- Discovery
- 1999
- Eccentricity
- Not recorded
- Inclination
- Not recorded
Visual knowledge graph
Relationships, not isolated facts
This viewport is generated from the Asteria knowledge graph. Science, culture, and interpretive links remain separated by domain so visual context never changes the evidentiary meaning of a relation.
- Member of groupApollo asteroids
- Associated withBennu Sample (OSIRIS-REx)
- Associated withCharacterization
- Associated withGravity Tractor
- Associated withNuclear Deflection
- Target ofOSIRIS-REx
- Visited byOSIRIS-REx
- Samples returned byOSIRIS-REx
Image provenance
Photography as evidence
Continue the atlas
Curated next objects
Solar System
The Sun and the bodies gravitationally bound to it.
space missionOSIRIS-REx
OSIRIS-REx collected a sample from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu and returned it to Earth in 2023.
near earth objectApollo asteroids
The largest class of near-Earth asteroids — Earth-crossers with orbits mostly larger than Earth's, named after 1862 Apollo.
returned sampleBennu Sample (OSIRIS-REx)
121.6 grams of dust and rock from the carbonaceous near-Earth asteroid 101955 Bennu, returned by OSIRIS-REx in 2023 — the largest asteroid sample yet returned. Early analysis shows abundant carbon and water-bearing clay minerals.
timeline eventOSIRIS-REx and Hayabusa2 Sample Asteroids
Within months of each other, Japan's Hayabusa2 delivers samples of asteroid Ryugu to Earth and NASA's OSIRIS-REx collects a sample from asteroid Bennu, opening a new age of asteroid sample return.
isru techniqueWater Extraction
Mining and extracting water and volatiles — from the permanently-shadowed craters at the lunar poles and from water-bearing carbonaceous asteroids such as Bennu. Water is the keystone resource: it provides drinking water, breathable oxygen, radiation shielding, and rocket propellant.
Observation
How this was captured
- Source
- WIKIMEDIA
Data
Scientific data & provenance
Data & provenance
- Stable ID
asteroid:bennu- Type
- Asteroid
- Domain
- Scientific connections
- Relationships
- 12
- Graph version
- 1.0.0
Dataset membership
Open data
In the graph export: graph.json · graph.jsonld
Planned API: GET /api/v0/entities/asteroid:bennu
Scientific quality
Substantial4 of 6 applicable dimensions complete
- Description
- Complete
- Source coverage
- Complete
- Relationship coverage
- Complete
- Review coverage
- None
- Citation coverage
- None
- Image coverage
- Complete
- Timeline coverage
- Not applicable
Scientific entity. Dimensions that cannot apply to this object are excluded rather than counted as gaps. See the evidence framework and authority dashboard.
Scientific citations
2Real, source-backed references — primary papers first, then datasets and institutional sources. Formatted through the citation engine; nothing is fabricated.
- Archive page101955 Bennu — JPL Small-Body Database
NASA JPL (Caltech)
Cite (APA / BibTeX)
NASA JPL (Caltech) (n.d.). 101955 Bennu — JPL Small-Body Database. NASA JPL (Caltech). https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/tools/sbdb_lookup.html @misc{cite:jpl-asteroid-bennu, title = {101955 Bennu — JPL Small-Body Database}, organization = {NASA JPL (Caltech)}, year = {n.d.}, url = {https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/tools/sbdb_lookup.html}, note = {Orbit and physical data for 101955 Bennu.} } - Institutional page101955 Bennu — NASA Science
NASA
Cite (APA / BibTeX)
NASA (n.d.). 101955 Bennu — NASA Science. NASA. https://science.nasa.gov/ @misc{cite:nasa-asteroid-bennu, title = {101955 Bennu — NASA Science}, organization = {NASA}, year = {n.d.}, url = {https://science.nasa.gov/}, note = {NASA overview of 101955 Bennu.} }
You might also explore
- Mission phaseApproach & CharacterizationLinked through OSIRIS-REx
- Launch vehicleAtlas VLinked through OSIRIS-REx
- Launch siteCape Canaveral Space Force StationLinked through OSIRIS-REx
- Tracking networkDeep Space Network (DSN)Linked through OSIRIS-REx
- OrganizationNASALinked through OSIRIS-REx
- Mission programNew Frontiers programLinked through OSIRIS-REx
Sources & references
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration
Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.
Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.
- NASA JPLJet Propulsion Laboratory / Solar System Dynamics
Orbital data, ephemerides, and small-body parameters for planets, asteroids, and comets.

