Astronomy:2017 XX61
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | MLS |
| Discovery site | Mount Lemmon Obs. |
| Discovery date | 15 December 2017 |
| Designations | |
| 2017 XX61 | |
| Minor planet category | NEO · Apollo[1][2] |
| Orbital characteristics[2] | |
| Epoch 16 December 2017 (JD 2458103.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 8[2] · 7[1] | |
| Observation arc | (1 day) |
| |{{{apsis}}}|helion}} | 3.2799 AU |
| |{{{apsis}}}|helion}} | 0.7945 AU |
| 2.0372 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.6100 |
| Orbital period | 2.91 yr (1,062 days) |
| Mean anomaly | 345.28° |
| Mean motion | 0° 20m 20.4s / day |
| Inclination | 8.4261° |
| Longitude of ascending node | 81.755° |
| 67.340° | |
| Earth MOID | 0.0162 AU (6.3 LD) |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Mean diameter | 17 m (est. at 0.14)[3] |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 26.6[1][2] |
2017 XX61 is a small near-Earth object, approximately 17 meters (56 feet) in diameter, that transited Earth at 8 lunar distances on 18 December 2017 at 14:54 UTC. The Apollo asteroid on an eccentric orbit was first observed by the Mount Lemmon Survey and was lost on the following night. (As of 2020), it has not been recovered.[2]
Description
2017 XX61 was first observed on 15 December 2017, by astronomers of the Mount Lemmon Survey at Mount Lemmon Observatory near Tucson, Arizona.[1]
It orbits the Sun at a distance of 0.8–3.3 AU once every 2 years and 11 months (1,062 days; semi-major axis of 2.04 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.61 and an inclination of 8° with respect to the ecliptic.[2]
2017 XX61 has an Earth minimum orbital intersection distance of 0.0162 AU (2,420,000 km), which translates into 6.3 lunar distances.[2] The asteroid also approached Mars on 11 May 2018.[2]
A generic magnitude-to-diameter conversion gives a mean-diameter of 13–27 meters, for an absolute magnitude of 26.6,[2] and an assumed albedo between 0.25 and 0.057, which typically correspond to the composition of a stony and carbonaceous body, respectively.[3]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "2017 XX61". Minor Planet Center. https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/db_search/show_object?object_id=2017+XX61. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: (2017 XX61)". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=3792432. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Asteroid Size Estimator". CNEOS NASA/JPL. https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov/tools/ast_size_est.html. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
External links
- 2017 XX61 at NeoDyS-2, Near Earth Objects—Dynamic Site
- Ephemeris · Obs prediction · Orbital info · MOID · Proper elements · Obs info · Close · Physical info · NEOCC
- 2017 XX61 at ESA–space situational awareness
- 2017 XX61 at the JPL Small-Body Database
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