Discovery | |
---|---|
Discovered by | Mt. Lemmon Survey G. J. Leonard (unofficial credits) |
Discovery site | Mount Lemmon Obs. |
Discovery date | March 19, 2017 |
Designations | |
2017 FZ2 | |
NEO · Apollo [1] [2] Earth crosser | |
Orbital characteristics [2] [3] [4] | |
Epoch September 4, 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
Uncertainty parameter 3 | |
Observation arc | 8 days |
Aphelion | 1.2730773 AU (190.44965 Gm) |
Perihelion | 0.741200 AU (110.8819 Gm) |
1.0071385 AU (150.66578 Gm) | |
Eccentricity | 0.264054 |
1.01 yr (369.1749 d) | |
87.30597° | |
0° 58m 30.531s /day | |
Inclination | 1.81167° |
185.86918° | |
100.32304° | |
Earth MOID | 0.0014 AU ·0.5 LD |
Physical characteristics | |
Dimensions | 13–30 m [a] [5] |
26.7 [2] | |
2017 FZ2 (also written 2017 FZ2) is a micro-asteroid and near-Earth object of the Apollo group that was a quasi-satellite of the Earth until March 23, 2017. [6]
2017 FZ2 was discovered by American astronomer Gregory Leonard on March 19, 2017, observing for the Mt. Lemmon Survey from Mount Lemmon Observatory. [7] [8] Its orbit is moderately eccentric (0.26), low inclination (1.81º) and a semi-major axis of 1.007 AU. [8] Upon discovery, it was classified as an Apollo asteroid but also an Earth crosser by the Minor Planet Center. Its orbit is very chaotic but it is relatively well determined; as of September 26, 2017, its orbit is based on 52 observations (1 Doppler) spanning a data-arc of 8 days. [2] 2017 FZ2 has an absolute magnitude of 26.7 which gives a characteristic diameter of 20 m. [5]
2017 FZ2 was until very recently an Earth's coorbital, the sixth known quasi-satellite of our planet and the smallest by far. Its most recent quasi-satellite episode may have started over 225 years ago and certainly ended after a close encounter with the Earth on March 23, 2017. [6]
A number of other near-Earth asteroids move in orbits similar to that of 2017 FZ2, the largest being 54509 YORP. There is an apparent excess of small bodies moving in orbits similar to that of YORP and this could be the result of mass shedding from YORP. [6]
2003 YN107 is a tiny 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.
54509 YORP (provisional designation 2000 PH5) is an Earth co-orbital asteroid discovered on 3 August 2000 by the Lincoln Laboratory Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) Team at Lincoln Laboratory Experimental Test Site in Socorro, New Mexico. Measurements of the rotation rate of this object provided the first observational evidence of the YORP effect, hence the name of the asteroid. The asteroid's rate of rotation is increasing at the rate of (2.0 ± 0.2) × 10−4 deg/day2 which between 2001 and 2005 caused the asteroid to rotate about 250° further than its spin rate in 2001 would have predicted. Simulations of the asteroid suggest that it may reach a rotation period of ~20 seconds near the end of its expected lifetime, which has a 75% probability of happening within the next 35 million years. The simulations also ruled out the possibility that close encounters with the Earth have been the cause of the increased spin rate.
(529366) 2009 WM1, provisional designation 2009 WM1, is a sub-kilometer asteroid and near-Earth object of the Apollo group, approximately 280 meters (920 feet) in diameter. After its discovery by the Catalina Sky Survey at the Catalina Station in Arizona, United States, this potentially hazardous asteroid was briefly listed at a Torino Scale of 1 and a cumulative Palermo Scale of −0.87. It was removed from the Sentry Risk Table on 26 June 2013.
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.
2011 EO40 is an asteroid, classified as a near-Earth object and a potentially hazardous asteroid of the Apollo group. It is a possible candidate for the parent body of the Chelyabinsk superbolide.
(523662) 2012 MU2, provisional designation 2012 MU2, is a sub-kilometer asteroid on an eccentric orbit, classified as near-Earth object and potentially hazardous asteroid of the Apollo group. It was discovered on 18 June 2012 by astronomers of the Catalina Sky Survey at an apparent magnitude of 19.9 using a 0.68-meter (27 in) Schmidt–Cassegrain telescope. It has an estimated diameter of 240 meters (790 ft). The asteroid was listed on Sentry Risk Table with a Torino Scale rating of 1 on 23 June 2012.
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 14 December 2015 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.
2017 DR109, is a micro-asteroid, classified as near-Earth object of the Apollo group and Aten group, respectively. It is currently trapped in a 1:1 mean motion resonance with the Earth of the horseshoe type. The object was first observed on 27 February 2017, by astronomers of the Catalina Sky Survey conducted at Mount Lemmon Observatory, Arizona, United States.
(585310) 2017 YZ1, provisional designation: 2017 YZ1, is a sub-kilometer asteroid on an eccentric orbit, classified as near-Earth object and potentially hazardous asteroid of the Apollo group, approximately 250 meters (800 feet) in diameter. It was first observed on 20 December 2017, by astronomers with the Mount Lemmon Survey at Mount Lemmon Observatory near Tucson, Arizona, in the United States. On 29 January 2018, it passed Earth at 125 lunar distances.
2017 SN16, is a sub-kilometer asteroid, classified as a near-Earth object of the Apollo group, approximately 90 meters (300 feet) in diameter. The object was first observed on 24 September 2017, by cometary discoverer Alex Gibbs with the Mount Lemmon Survey at Mount Lemmon Observatory, Arizona, in the United States. It forms an asteroid pair with 2018 RY7 and is currently trapped in a 3:5 mean motion resonance with Venus.
2018 RY7, is a small near-Earth object of the Apollo group. It is currently trapped in a 3:5 mean motion resonance with Venus. The object was first observed on 14 September 2018, by astronomer B. M. Africano with the Mount Lemmon Survey at Mount Lemmon Observatory, Arizona, United States.
2020 PN1 is a sub-kilometer asteroid, classified as a near-Earth object of the Aten group, that is a temporary horseshoe companion to the Earth. There are dozens of known Earth horseshoe librators, some of which switch periodically between the quasi-satellite and the horseshoe co-orbital states.
2020 PP1 is a sub-kilometer asteroid, classified as a near-Earth object of the Apollo group, that is a temporary quasi-satellite of the Earth. There are over a dozen known Earth quasi-satellites, some of which switch periodically between the quasi-satellite and horseshoe co-orbital states.
2021 DW1 is a small Apollo near-Earth asteroid discovered on 16 February 2021 by the Pan-STARRS 1 survey at Haleakala Observatory, Hawaii. On 4 March 2021 at 8:59 UTC, it passed 1.48 LD (570,000 km; 350,000 mi) from Earth. During the close approach, it trailed across the Northern Hemisphere sky and brightened up to apparent magnitude of 14.6. Extensive observations of 2021 DW1 during the encounter revealed that it is an elongated, stony asteroid approximately 30 metres (100 ft) in diameter, with a rapid rotation period of 50 seconds. The asteroid's spin axis is unusually oblique relative to its orbital plane, contrary to predictions from the YORP effect.