Astronomy:(179806) 2002 TD66

From HandWiki
Short description: Near-Earth asteroid


(179806) 2002 TD66
Discovery
Discovered byLINEAR
Discovery siteLincoln Lab ETS
Discovery date5 October 2002
Designations
Minor planet categoryNEO · Apollo
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 13 January 2016 (JD 2457400.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc2017 days (5.52 yr)
|{{{apsis}}}|helion}}2.8505 astronomical unit|AU (426.43 Gm)
|{{{apsis}}}|helion}}0.86543 AU (129.466 Gm)
1.8580 AU (277.95 Gm)
Eccentricity0.53421
Orbital period2.53 yr (925.03 d)
Mean anomaly55.037°
Mean motion0° 23m 21.048s / day
Inclination4.9211°
Longitude of ascending node335.73°
125.66°
Earth MOID0.00603808 AU (903,284 km)
Jupiter MOID2.35661 AU (352.544 Gm)
Physical characteristics
Dimensions300 meters[2]
270–590 meters H
Rotation period9.455 h (0.3940 d)[2][1]
Absolute magnitude (H)20.2[1]


(179806) 2002 TD66 (also written 2002 TD66) is a sub-kilometer asteroid, classified as near-Earth object of the Apollo group. It was discovered on 5 October 2002, by the LINEAR project at Lincoln Laboratory's ETS in Socorro, New Mexico.[1] It was announced on 7 October 2002 and appeared later that day on the JPL current risk page.

Description

Due to the proximity of its orbit to Earth and its estimated size, this object has been classified as a potentially hazardous asteroid (PHA) by the Minor Planet Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In November 2006 there were 823 PHAs known. (As of October 2011), there are 1261 PHAs known.[3] 2002 TD66 was removed from the Sentry Risk Table on October 10, 2002.[4] A Doppler observation[1] has helped produce a well known trajectory with a condition code (Uncertainty Parameter U) of 0.[1]

Based on an absolute magnitude (H) of 20.2,[1] the asteroid is estimated to be between 270 and 590 meters in diameter. Radar astronomy shows it is a contact binary asteroid with a diameter of 300 meters and a rotation period of 9.5 hours.[2]

On February 26, 2008, 2002 TD66 passed 0.04282 astronomical unit|AU (6,406,000 km; 3,980,000 mi) from Earth.[5] The asteroid also comes close to Venus, Mars, and dwarf planet Ceres.[5]

References

External links