Astronomy:2014 LY21

2014 LY₂₁

Discovery
Discovered by	Mount Lemmon Srvy.
Discovery date	2 June 2014
Designations
MPC designation	2014 LY21
Minor planet category	Aten NEO
Orbital characteristics
Epoch 2 June 2014 (JD 2456810.5)
Uncertainty parameter 9
Observation arc	~1 hour
|{{{apsis}}}|helion}}	1.0306 astronomical unit|AU (154.18 Gm) (Q)
|{{{apsis}}}|helion}}	0.35603 AU (53.261 Gm) (q)
Semi-major axis	0.69330 AU (103.716 Gm) (a)
Eccentricity	0.48647 (e)
Orbital period	0.58 yr (210.9 d)
Mean anomaly	203.00° (M)
Mean motion	1.7074°/day (n)
Inclination	0.80341° (i)
Longitude of ascending node	73.788° (Ω)
|{{{apsis}}}|helion}}	348.77° (ω)
Earth MOID	0.000140028 AU (20,947.9 km)
Jupiter MOID	4.29318 AU (642.251 Gm)
Physical characteristics
Dimensions	4–8 m (13–26 ft)
Absolute magnitude (H)	29.1

2014 LY₂₁ is a near-Earth asteroid of the Aten group, approximately 4–8 meters (13–26 feet) in diameter. On 3 June 2014 around 17:38 UT (± 3 hours), it is crudely estimated to have passed about 0.00013 astronomical unit|AU (19,000 km) from Earth. The asteroid was discovered on 2 June 2014 by the Mount Lemmon Survey at an apparent magnitude of 21 using a 1.5-meter (59 in) reflecting telescope.

Uncertainty

With an observation arc of about 1 hour, the trajectory is poorly constrained and the asteroid has an uncertainty parameter of 9 making long-term predictions of the asteroids position nearly impossible. The nominal (best fit) orbit shows that 2014 LY₂₁ passed 0.00013 AU (19,000 km; 12,000 mi) from Earth on 3 June 2014 (~12,700 km from Earth's surface). But the uncertainty region shows that the asteroid could have approached Earth as close as 0.00006 AU (9,000 km; 5,600 mi) or as far as 0.0005 AU (75,000 km; 46,000 mi). Since Earth has a radius of approximately 6,400 km, the asteroid did not come any closer than about 2,600 km from Earth's surface.

Moon

The nominal orbit shows that 2014 LY₂₁ passed 0.001 AU (150,000 km; 93,000 mi) from the Moon on 4 June 2014. But the uncertainty region shows that the asteroid could have impacted the Moon or passed as far as 0.007 AU (1,000,000 km; 650,000 mi). But it is very unlikely that the asteroid impacted the Moon.

See also

• 2004 FU162
• 2020 QG

External links

• 2014 LY21 at NeoDyS-2, Near Earth Objects—Dynamic Site
  • Ephemeris · Obs prediction · Orbital info · MOID · Proper elements · Obs info · Close · Physical info · NEOCC
• 2014 LY21 at ESA–space situational awareness
  • Ephemerides · Observations · Orbit · Physical Properties · Summary
• 2014 LY21 at the JPL Small-Body Database
  • Close approach · Discovery · Ephemeris · Orbit diagram · Orbital elements · Physical parameters