2002 VE68

Last updated
2002 VE68
Discovery
Discovered by LONEOS
Discovery dateNovember 11, 2002
Designations
MPC designation 2002 VE68
Aten asteroid, [1] [2]
Mercury grazer,
Venus crosser,
Earth crosser
Orbital characteristics [2] [3] [4]
Epoch 13 January 2016 (JD 2457400.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc 4730 days (12.95 yr)
Aphelion 1.0205341407  AU (152.66973443  Gm) (Q)
Perihelion 0.426685951 AU (63.8313097 Gm) (q)
0.7236100459 AU (108.25052208 Gm) (a)
Eccentricity 0.41033717 (e)
0.62 yr (224.8 d)
324.184981° (M)
1.60120594°/day (n)
Inclination 9.00657594° (i)
231.567349° (Ω)
355.446011° (ω)
Earth  MOID 0.0257506 AU (3.85223 Gm)
Jupiter  MOID 3.96126 AU (592.596 Gm)
Physical characteristics
Dimensions210–470 m [lower-alpha 1] [5]
13.50  h (0.563  d) [2]
20.5 [2]

    2002 VE68, also written 2002 VE68 , is a temporary quasi-satellite of Venus. [6] It was the first quasi-satellite to be discovered around a major planet in the Solar System. In a frame of reference rotating with Venus, it appears to travel around it during one Venerean year but it actually orbits the Sun, not Venus. [7]

    Quasi-satellite

    A quasi-satellite is an object in a specific type of co-orbital configuration with a planet where the object stays close to that planet over many orbital periods.

    Venus Second planet from the Sun in the Solar System

    Venus is the second planet from the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days. It has the longest rotation period of any planet in the Solar System and rotates in the opposite direction to most other planets. It does not have any natural satellites. It is named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty. It is the second-brightest natural object in the night sky after the Moon, reaching an apparent magnitude of −4.6 – bright enough to cast shadows at night and, rarely, visible to the naked eye in broad daylight. Orbiting within Earth's orbit, Venus is an inferior planet and never appears to venture far from the Sun; its maximum angular distance from the Sun (elongation) is 47.8°.

    Planet Class of astronomical body directly orbiting a star or stellar remnant

    A planet is an astronomical body orbiting a star or stellar remnant that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion, and has cleared its neighbouring region of planetesimals.

    Contents

    Discovery, orbit and physical properties

    It was discovered on November 11, 2002 at Lowell Observatory. As of February 2013, 2002 VE68 has been observed telescopically 457 times with a data-arc span of 2,947 days and it was the target of Doppler observations in 5 occasions; therefore, its orbit is very well determined. Its semi-major axis (0.7237 AU) is very similar to that of Venus but its eccentricity is rather large (0.4104) and its orbital inclination is also significant (9.0060°). The spectrum of 2002 VE68 implies that it is an X-type asteroid and hence an albedo of about 0.25 should be assumed. [8] This combined with an absolute visual magnitude of 20.50 gives a diameter of about 200 m. [8] Its rotational period is 13.5 h and its light curve has an amplitude of 0.9 mag which hints at a very elongated body, perhaps a contact binary. [8]

    Lowell Observatory astronomical observatory

    Lowell Observatory is an astronomical observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, United States. Lowell Observatory was established in 1894, placing it among the oldest observatories in the United States, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1965. In 2011, the Observatory was named one of "The World's 100 Most Important Places" by TIME. It was at the Lowell Observatory that the dwarf planet Pluto was discovered in 1930 by Clyde Tombaugh.

    Orbit gravitationally curved path of an object around a point in outer space; circular or elliptical path of one object around another object

    In physics, an orbit is the gravitationally curved trajectory of an object, such as the trajectory of a planet around a star or a natural satellite around a planet. Normally, orbit refers to a regularly repeating trajectory, although it may also refer to a non-repeating trajectory. To a close approximation, planets and satellites follow elliptic orbits, with the central mass being orbited at a focal point of the ellipse, as described by Kepler's laws of planetary motion.

    The X-group of asteroids collects together several types with similar spectra, but probably quite different compositions.

    Quasi-satellite dynamical state and orbital evolution

    The existence of retrograde satellites or quasi-satellites was first considered by J. Jackson in 1913 [9] but none was discovered until almost 100 years later. [7] 2002 VE68 was the first quasi-satellite to be discovered, in 2002, although it was not immediately recognized as such. 2002 VE68 was identified as a quasi-satellite of Venus by Seppo Mikkola, Ramon Brasser, Paul A. Wiegert and Kimmo Innanen in 2004, two years after the actual discovery of the object. [6] [7] From the perspective of a hypothetical observer in a frame of reference rotating with Venus, it appears to travel around the planet during one Venusian year although it does not orbit Venus but the Sun like any other asteroid. As quasi-satellite, this minor body is trapped in a 1:1 mean-motion resonance with Venus. Besides being a Venus co-orbital, this Aten asteroid is also a Mercury grazer and an Earth crosser. 2002 VE68 exhibits resonant (or near-resonant) behavior with Mercury, Venus and Earth. [10] [11] It seems to have been co-orbital with Venus for only the last 7,000 years, and is destined to be ejected from this orbital arrangement about 500 years from now. [7] During this time, its distance to Venus has been and will remain larger than about 0.2 AU (3·107 km).

    Seppo Mikkola (1947) is a Finnish astronomer. He is a senior lecturer at the University of Turku and staff member at Tuorla Observatory.

    Asteroid minor planet that is not a comet

    Asteroids are minor planets, especially of the inner Solar System. Larger asteroids have also been called planetoids. These terms have historically been applied to any astronomical object orbiting the Sun that did not resemble a planet-like disc and was not observed to have characteristics of an active comet such as a tail. As minor planets in the outer Solar System were discovered they were typically found to have volatile-rich surfaces similar to comets. As a result, they were often distinguished from objects found in the main asteroid belt. In this article, the term "asteroid" refers to the minor planets of the inner Solar System including those co-orbital with Jupiter.

    In astronomy, a co-orbital configuration is a configuration of two or more astronomical objects orbiting at the same, or very similar, distance from their primary, i.e. they are in a 1:1 mean-motion resonance..

    Potentially hazardous asteroid

    2002 VE68 is included in the Minor Planet Center list of Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs) because it comes relatively frequently to within 0.05 AU of Earth. Approaches as close as 0.04 AU occur with a periodicity of 8 years due to its near 8:13 resonance with Earth. [10] 2002 VE68 was discovered during the close approaches of November 11, 2002. During the last close encounter on November 7, 2010, 2002 VE68 approached Earth within 0.035 AU (13.6 Lunar distances), brightening below 15th magnitude. Its next fly-by with Earth happened on November 4, 2018 at 0.038 AU (5,700,000 km; 3,500,000 mi). [12] Numerical simulations indicate that an actual collision with Earth during the next 10,000 years is not likely, although dangerously close approaches to about 0.002 AU are possible, a distance potentially within earth's Hill sphere. [10]

    The Minor Planet Center (MPC) is the official worldwide organization in charge of collecting observational data for minor planets, calculating their orbits and publishing this information via the Minor Planet Circulars. Under the auspices of the International Astronomical Union (IAU), it operates at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, which is part of the Center for Astrophysics along with the Harvard College Observatory.

    Computer simulation simulation, run on a single computer, or a network of computers, to reproduce behavior of a system; modeling a real physical system in a computer

    Computer simulation is the reproduction of the behavior of a system using a computer to simulate the outcomes of a mathematical model associated with said system. Since they allow to check the reliability of chosen mathematical models, computer simulations have become a useful tool for the mathematical modeling of many natural systems in physics, astrophysics, climatology, chemistry, biology and manufacturing, human systems in economics, psychology, social science, health care and engineering. Simulation of a system is represented as the running of the system's model. It can be used to explore and gain new insights into new technology and to estimate the performance of systems too complex for analytical solutions.

    Impact event Collision of two astronomical objects with measurable effects

    An impact event is a collision between astronomical objects causing measurable effects. Impact events have physical consequences and have been found to regularly occur in planetary systems, though the most frequent involve asteroids, comets or meteoroids and have minimal effect. When large objects impact terrestrial planets such as the Earth, there can be significant physical and biospheric consequences, though atmospheres mitigate many surface impacts through atmospheric entry. Impact craters and structures are dominant landforms on many of the Solar System's solid objects and present the strongest empirical evidence for their frequency and scale.

    See also

    Notes

    1. ↑ This is assuming an albedo of 0.25–0.05.

    Related Research Articles

    Near-Earth object Solar System object whose orbit brings it into proximity with Earth

    A near-Earth object (NEO) is any small Solar System body whose orbit brings it to proximity with Earth. By convention, a Solar System body is a NEO if its closest approach to the Sun (perihelion) is less than 1.3 astronomical units (AU). If a NEO's orbit crosses the Earth's and the object is larger than 140 meters (460 ft) across, it is considered a potentially hazardous object (PHO). Most known PHOs and NEOs are asteroids, but a small fraction are comets.

    3753 Cruithne asteroid

    3753 Cruithne is a Q-type, Aten asteroid in orbit around the Sun in 1:1 orbital resonance with Earth, making it a co-orbital object. It is an asteroid that, relative to Earth, orbits the Sun in a bean-shaped orbit that effectively describes a horseshoe, and that can change into a quasi-satellite orbit. Cruithne does not orbit Earth and at times it is on the other side of the Sun, placing Cruithne well outside of Earth's Hill sphere. Its orbit takes it inside the orbit of Mercury and outside the orbit of Mars. Cruithne orbits the Sun in about 1 year but it takes 770 years for the series to complete a horseshoe-shaped movement around the Earth.

    <span class="nowrap">2002 AA<sub>29</sub></span> asteroid

    2002 AA29 (also written 2002 AA29) is a small near-Earth asteroid that was discovered on January 9, 2002 by the LINEAR (Lincoln Near Earth Asteroid Research) automatic sky survey. The diameter of the asteroid is only about 20–100 metres (70–300 ft). It revolves about the Sun on an almost circular orbit very similar to that of the Earth. This lies for the most part inside the Earth's orbit, which it crosses near the asteroid's furthest point from the Sun, the aphelion. Because of this orbit, the asteroid is classified as Aten type, named after the asteroid 2062 Aten.

    2003 YN107 is a micro-asteroid, classified as a near-Earth object of the Aten group moving in a 1:1 mean-motion resonance with Earth. Because of that, it is in a co-orbital configuration relative to Earth.

    5261 Eureka asteroid

    5261 Eureka is the first Mars trojan discovered. It was discovered by David H. Levy and Henry Holt at Palomar Observatory on June 20, 1990. It trails Mars (at the L5 point) at a distance varying by only 0.3 AU during each revolution (with a secular trend superimposed, changing the distance from 1.5–1.8 AU around 1850 to 1.3–1.6 AU around 2400). Minimum distances from the Earth, Venus, and Jupiter, are 0.5, 0.8, and 3.5 AU, respectively.

    (99907) 1989 VA is a very eccentric, stony asteroid and near-Earth object, approximately 1 kilometer in diameter. It was discovered on 2 November 1989, by American astronomer couple Carolyn and Eugene Shoemaker and Canadian astronomer David Levy at the Palomar Observatory on Mount Palomar, California.

    Claims of the existence of other moons of Earth—that is, of one or more natural satellites other than the Moon that orbit Earth—have existed for some time. Several candidates have been proposed, but none has been confirmed. Since the 19th century, scientists have made genuine searches for more moons, but the possibility has also been the subject of a number of dubious non-scientific speculations as well as a number of likely hoaxes.

    (322756) 2001 CK32 is a sub-kilometer asteroid and near-Earth object of the Aten group. It is also a transient Venus co-orbital, and a Mercury grazer as well as an Earth crosser. It was once designated as a potentially hazardous asteroid.

    2012 XE133, is an asteroid, classified as near-Earth object of the Aten group that is a temporary co-orbital of Venus.

    2013 BS45 (also written 2013 BS45) is a horseshoe companion to the Earth like 3753 Cruithne. Like Cruithne, it does not orbit the Earth in the normal sense and at times it is on the other side of the Sun, yet it still periodically comes nearer to the Earth in sort of halo orbit before again drifting away. While not a traditional natural satellite, it does not quite have normal heliocentric orbit either and these are sometimes called quasi-satellties or horseshoe orbits.

    2012 FC71, also written 2012 FC71, is a small asteroid trapped in a Kozai resonance with the Earth.

    2013 ND15 (also written 2013 ND15) is an asteroid that is a temporary trojan of Venus, the first known Venus trojan.

    2014 OL339 (also written 2014 OL339) is an Aten asteroid that is a temporary quasi-satellite of Earth, the fourth known Earth quasi-satellite.

    2013 LX28, is an asteroid, classified as near-Earth object of the Apollo group that is a temporary quasi-satellite of the Earth, the third known Earth quasi-satellite.

    2015 SO2 (also written 2015 SO2) is an Aten asteroid that is a temporary horseshoe companion to the Earth, the ninth known Earth horseshoe librator. Prior to its most recent close encounter with our planet (2015 September 30) it was an Apollo asteroid.

    2015 XX169 (also written 2015 XX169) is an Apollo asteroid that is a temporary horseshoe companion to the Earth, the tenth known Earth horseshoe librator. A close encounter with the Earth on 2015 December 14 caused the value of the semi-major axis of 2015 XX169 to drift slowly upwards, and the object evolved from an Aten asteroid to an Apollo asteroid about a year after this close approach.

    2015 YQ1 (also written 2015 YQ1) is an Apollo asteroid that is a temporary horseshoe companion to the Earth, the twelfth known Earth horseshoe librator. It experienced a close encounter with the Earth on 2015 December 22 at 0.0037 AU.

    2015 YA is a sub-kilometer asteroid, classified as near-Earth object of the Aten group, that is a temporary horseshoe companion to the Earth. It is the 11th known Earth horseshoe librator. Prior to a close encounter with the Earth on 15 December 2015, 2015 YA was an Apollo asteroid.

    <span class="nowrap">(469219) 2016 HO<sub>3</sub></span> asteroid

    (469219) 2016 HO3 is a micro-asteroid, fast rotator and near-Earth object of the Apollo group, approximately 41 meters in diameter. It is currently the smallest, closest, and most stable (known) quasi-satellite of Earth. The asteroid was discovered by Pan-STARRS at Haleakala Observatory on 27 April 2016.

    References

    1. ↑ List Of Aten Minor Planets
    2. 1 2 3 4 "2002 VE68". JPL Small-Body Database . Jet Propulsion Laboratory. SPK-ID:  2002VE68 . Retrieved 30 March 2016.
    3. ↑ AstDys-2 on 2002 VE68 Retrieved 2012-08-13
    4. ↑ NEODyS-2 on 2002 VE68 Retrieved 2012-08-13
    5. ↑ Absolute-magnitude conversion table (H)
    6. 1 2 Discovery of the first quasi-satellite of Venus (press announcement, Tuorla Observatory)
    7. 1 2 3 4 Asteroid 2002 VE68, a quasi-satellite of Venus
    8. 1 2 3 Physical characterization of 2002 VE68, a quasi-moon of Venus
    9. ↑ Retrograde satellite orbits
    10. 1 2 3 On the dynamical evolution of 2002 VE68
    11. ↑ de la Fuente Marcos, Carlos; de la Fuente Marcos, Raúl. "Asteroid 2012 XE133, a transient companion to Venus". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society . 432 (2): 886–893. arXiv: 1303.3705 . Bibcode:2013MNRAS.432..886D. doi:10.1093/mnras/stt454.
    12. ↑ "JPL Close-Approach Data: (2002 VE68)" (2010-12-06 last obs (arc=8 years)). Retrieved 2013-01-05.
    Further reading

    The JPL Small-Body Database (SBDB) is an astronomy database about small Solar System bodies. It is maintained by Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and NASA and provides data for all known asteroids and several comets, including orbital parameters and diagrams, physical diagrams, and lists of publications related to the small body. The database is updated on a daily basis.

    This page is based on this Wikipedia article
    Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
    Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.