Astronomy:(523972) 1999 CW8

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(523972) 1999 CW8
Celestia 1999 CW8 orbit.png
Orbital diagram of 1999 CW8
Discovery[1]
Discovered byLINEAR
Discovery siteLincoln Laboratory ETS
Discovery date12 February 1999
Designations
(523972) 1999 CW8
1999 CW8
Minor planet categoryNEO · Apollo[1][2]
Orbital characteristics[2]
Epoch 27 April 2019 (JD 2458600.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc20.05 yr (7,322 d)
|{{{apsis}}}|helion}}3.5757 AU
|{{{apsis}}}|helion}}0.8954 AU
2.2355 AU
Eccentricity0.5995
Orbital period3.34 yr (1,221 d)
Mean anomaly353.67°
Mean motion0° 17m 41.64s / day
Inclination33.645°
Longitude of ascending node317.00°
262.11°
Earth MOID0.23 AU (90.2 LD)
Mars MOID0.074 AU[1]
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter0.64 km (est at 0.159)[3]
SMASS = B[2]
Absolute magnitude (H)18.6[1][2]


(523972) 1999 CW8, provisional designation 1999 CW8, is a bright carbonaceous asteroid and sub-kilometer near-Earth object of the Apollo group, first observed on 12 February 1999, by astronomers of the Lincoln Near Earth Asteroid Research program at Lincoln Laboratory ETS in New Mexico, United States.[1]

Numbering and naming

This minor planet was numbered by the Minor Planet Center on 18 May 2019 (M.P.C. 114615). As of 2019, it has not been named.[4]

Orbit and classification

The orbit of 1999 CW8, showing its inclination above the plane of the Solar System

1999 CW8 is an Apollo asteroid that crosses Earth's orbit. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 0.9–3.6 AU once every 3 years and 4 months (1,221 days; semi-major axis of 2.24 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.60 and an inclination of 34° with respect to the ecliptic.[2] The asteroid never approaches Earth closer than 0.2 AU in the foreseeable future, but occasionally makes close approaches to Mars of 0.07 AU. It makes one such approach in 2073, at 0.067 AU, and another one in 2103, at 0.094 AU. Due to 1999 CW8's relatively high inclination, although it passes closer to the Sun than the Earth (0.9 AU), it never comes closer than 0.2 AU.

Physical characteristics

It is a carbonaceous B-type asteroid, relatively rare in the asteroid belt but common in the inner Solar System.[2] Based on an absolute magnitude of 18.6,[1][2] and an assumed albedo of 0.159 (derived from the B-type asteroid 2 Pallas), the asteroid can be estimated to have a mean-diameter of approximately 640 meters.[3] If it impacted the Earth would cause significant damage, but not as much as the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event progenitor, which brought about a mass extinction, as it is only 1/20 to 1/10 the size. However, it is unlikely to come close enough to Earth to impact it, or even become a risk of impact.

See also

  • Mars-crossing asteroid

References

External links