Astronomy:2017 VW13

From HandWiki
2017 VW13
Discovery[1]
Discovered byATLAS-MLO
Discovery date13 November 2017
Designations
2017 VW13
Minor planet category
Orbital characteristics[2]
Epoch 23 March 2018 (JD 2458200.5)
Uncertainty parameter 4
Observation arc118 days
|{{{apsis}}}|helion}}3.3707 AU (Q)
|{{{apsis}}}|helion}}0.96118 AU (q)
2.1659 AU (a)
Eccentricity0.556231
Orbital period3.19 yr
Mean anomaly47.813° (M)
Inclination11.4909°
Longitude of ascending node45.705° (Ω)
337.12° (ω)
Earth MOID0.002 AU (300,000 km)
Physical characteristics
Dimensions~250 m (820 ft) (assumed)[lower-alpha 1]
Absolute magnitude (H)20.7[2]


2017 VW13 is an Apollo near-Earth asteroid roughly 250 meters (820 feet) in diameter. It was discovered on 13 November 2017 when the asteroid was about 0.069 astronomical unit|AU (10,300,000 km; 6,400,000 mi) from Earth and had a solar elongation of 110 degrees. Ten days earlier, on 3 November 2017, the asteroid had passed 0.02818 AU (4,216,000 km; 2,619,000 mi) from Earth,[2] but only had a solar elongation of 65 degrees.

2001 Earth approach

Calculating the orbit backwards it is known that the asteroid made a close approach to Earth on 8 November 2001.[2] The nominal (best-fit) solution shows that the asteroid passed about 0.001 AU (150,000 km; 93,000 mi) from Earth. But due to the uncertainties in the trajectory, the asteroid could have passed as far as 0.008 AU (1,200,000 km; 740,000 mi) from Earth. The observation arc is only 118 days, but as the observation arc becomes longer the precise distance of the 2001 approach will become better constrained.

Generic size comparison of other large asteroids that passed less than 0.5 LD from Earth
Asteroid Absolute
magnitude
(H)
Generic diameter
estimate assuming
albedo = 0.15[3]
2017 VW13 20.7 250 meters
2002 MN 23.6 66 meters
2018 GE3 23.8 60 meters

Notes

  1. Diameter estimate based on an absolute magnitude (H) of 20.7 and an assumed albedo of 0.15.

References

External links