2019 SU3

Last updated

2019 SU3
Discovery [1] [2]
Discovered by ATLAS-HKO
Discovery site Haleakala Obs.
Discovery date23 September 2019
(first observed only)
Designations
2019 SU3
NEO  · Apollo [1] [2]
Orbital characteristics [2]
Epoch 27 April 2019 (JD 2458600.5)
Uncertainty parameter 2 [2]  ·3 [1]
Observation arc 28 days
Aphelion 1.1948 AU
Perihelion 0.9922 AU
1.0935 AU
Eccentricity 0.0927
1.14 yr (418 d)
257.62°
0° 51m 42.84s / day
Inclination 1.1621°
5.1182°
322.69°
Earth  MOID 0.0022  AU (0.86  LD)
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter
15  m [3] [4]
27.2 [1]
27.28 [2]

    2019 SU3 is a very small near-Earth asteroid of the Apollo group, first observed by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System at Haleakala Observatory on 23 September 2019. It was briefly listed on the Risk List of the European Space Agency. With a 18-day observation arc, the nominal orbit passes 0.02 AU (3,000,000 km; 1,900,000 mi) from Earth on 27 September 2084. [2] It was removed from the Sentry Risk Table on 12 October 2019.

    Contents

    Based on calculations with a shorter observation arc, the asteroid could have passed very close to Earth, about 9,700 km (6,000 mi), in mid-September, 2084. [3] [5] [6] [7] According to astronomers, "Its small size of about 15 m (49 ft) would result in limited consequences even in case of impact." [3]

    Trajectory

    2019 SU3 asteroid trajectory - as/of 12 October 2019
(Asteroid orbit is in white; Earth orbit is in blue) NASA-AsteroidTrajectory-2019SU3-20191012.png
    2019 SU3 asteroid trajectory – as/of 12 October 2019
    (Asteroid orbit is in white; Earth orbit is in blue)

    See also

    Related Research Articles

    (454101) 2013 BP73, provisional designation 2013 BP73, is a sub-kilometer asteroid, classified as a near-Earth object and potentially hazardous asteroid of the Apollo group, approximately 310 meters (1,020 ft) in diameter.

    (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.

    (163132) 2002 CU11, provisional designation 2002 CU11, is a bright, sub-kilometer asteroid, classified as near-Earth object and potentially hazardous asteroid of the Apollo group. Based on absolute magnitude, it is the second largest asteroid known to have passed closer than the Moon.

    2013 TV135 is an Apollo near-Earth asteroid estimated to have a diameter of 450 meters (1,480 ft). On 16 September 2013, it passed about 0.0448 AU (6,700,000 km; 4,160,000 mi) from Earth. On 20 September 2013, it came to perihelion (closest approach to the Sun). The asteroid was discovered on 12 October 2013 by Ukrainian amateur astronomer Gennadiy Borisov with a custom 0.2-meter (7.9 in) telescope using images dating back to 8 October 2013. It was rated level 1 on the Torino Scale from 16 October 2013 until JPL solution 26 on 3 November 2013. It reached a Palermo Technical Impact Hazard Scale rating of -0.73. It was removed from the JPL Sentry Risk Table on 8 November 2013 using JPL solution 32 with an observation arc of 27 days.

    2009 RR micro-asteroid, classified as near-Earth object of the Apollo group. It was discovered on 11 September 2009 by the Catalina Sky Survey at an apparent magnitude of 19.5 using a 0.68-meter (27 in) Schmidt–Cassegrain telescope. 2009 RR was the only asteroid discovered before 2014 that was predicted to potentially pass inside the orbit of the Moon during 2014. The asteroid has an estimated diameter of 26 meters (85 ft) and is listed on the Sentry Risk Table. It is not large enough to qualify as a potentially hazardous object.

    2012 FN is an Apollo asteroid and a near-Earth object that has a 1 in 4 billion chance of impacting Earth on 7 March 2113. It is estimated to be 5 meters in diameter, which means that it poses no threat if it impacts Earth. An impact would have the kinetic energy of about 3 kt of TNT, and would probably result in an air burst in the upper atmosphere. It is the least threatening asteroid listed on the Sentry Risk Table. The very short observation arc of only 3 hours results in a very poorly constrained orbit, and it could just as easily be 2 AU from Earth on 7 March 2113.

    2014 UR116, also known as 2008 XB, is an eccentric sub-kilometer asteroid, categorized as a near-Earth object and potentially hazardous asteroid of the Apollo group with a diameter of approximately 400 meters (1,300 ft). It was first observed on 1 December 2008, by the Mount Lemmon Survey at Mount Lemmon Observatory in Arizona, United States.

    2014 OO6 (also written 2014 OO6) is an Apollo near-Earth asteroid discovered in 2014 and was the most dangerous one discovered in 2014 that remained on the Sentry Risk Table as of early December 2014. The asteroid is estimated to be roughly 75 meters (246 ft) in diameter and had a 1 in 83,000 chance of impacting Earth on 11 January 2051. However, the nominal best-fit orbit shows that 2014 OO6 will be 1.5 AU (220,000,000 km; 140,000,000 mi) from Earth on 11 January 2051.

    2014 XL7 is a near-Earth object and Apollo asteroid, approximately 230 meters (750 feet) in diameter. It was the most dangerous potentially hazardous asteroid on Sentry Risk Table upon its discovery by the Mount Lemmon Survey in December 2014. At the time, the asteroid had a cumulative 1 in 83000 chance of impacting Earth on 4–5 June between the years 2048 and 2084. After the object's observation arc had been extended to 35 days, it was removed from the Sentry Risk Table on 15 January 2015. Since then the asteroid's orbit has been secured. Although it has an Earth minimum orbit intersection distance of less than one lunar distance, there are no projected close encounters with Earth in the foreseeable future, with its closest passage to occur in May 2046, still millions of kilometers away.

    2015 AZ43 (also written 2015 AZ43) is an Apollo near-Earth asteroid roughly 70 meters in diameter. On 10 February 2015 with a 29.5-day observation arc, it showed a 1 in 5,880 chance of impacting Earth on 27 February 2107. However, the NEODyS nominal best-fit orbit shows that 2015 AZ43 will be 2.8 AU (420,000,000 km; 260,000,000 mi) from Earth on 27 February 2107. A (non-impacting) Earth close approach in 2056 makes future trajectories diverge. It was removed from the JPL Sentry Risk Table on 23 February 2015 using JPL solution 26 with an observation arc of 40 days that included radar data.

    (549948) 2011 WL2 is a sub-kilometer asteroid, classified as a near-Earth object and potentially hazardous asteroid of the Apollo group. It was discovered on 16 November 2011, by astronomers with the LINEAR at the Lincoln Laboratory ETS near Socorro, New Mexico, in the United States.

    2012 TV is a near-Earth Apollo asteroid with an estimated diameter of 30 metres (98 ft). Its closest approach to the Earth was on October 7, 2012 with a distance of 0.0017 astronomical units. It also approached the Moon an hour earlier with a distance of 0.0028 astronomical units. With a short observation arc of 1.8 days, the asteroid is listed on the Sentry Risk Table and has a 1:500,000 chance of impacting Earth on April 2, 2081.

    2013 TX68 is an Apollo asteroid and near-Earth object discovered on 6 October 2013 by the Catalina Sky Survey, during which it was near a close approach of 5.4 Lunar distances (LD) from the Earth. The asteroid only has a 10-day observation arc which makes long-term predictions of its position less certain. It was observed for three days as it approached Earth in the night sky starting with the sixth of October, 2013. Then it became unobservable by being between the Earth and the Sun, then not recovered due to its small size and dimness. Precovery images by Pan-STARRS from 29 September 2013 were announced on 11 February 2016 that extended the observation arc to 10 days. It was removed from the Sentry Risk Table on 11 February 2016, so there is no risk of impact from this object for the next hundred years or more. The asteroid was last observed on 9 October 2013.

    (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.

    <span class="nowrap">2006 QV<sub>89</sub></span> Asteroid

    2006 QV89 (also written 2006 QV89) is an Apollo near-Earth asteroid roughly 30 meters (100 feet) in diameter. It was discovered on 29 August 2006 when the asteroid was about 0.03 AU (4,500,000 km; 2,800,000 mi) from Earth and had a solar elongation of 150 degrees.

    1979 XB is a lost asteroid with a short observation arc of 3.9 days that cannot be recovered with targeted observations and awaits serendipitous survey observations. It is classified as a near-Earth object and potentially hazardous asteroid of the Apollo group and is estimated to be 660 meters in diameter. The unnumbered minor planet has a poorly constrained orbit and has not been observed in 40 years. It has been listed on the Sentry Risk Table since the list started in 2002. With a cumulative Palermo Technical Impact Hazard Scale of −2.72, the poorly known orbit and assumed size place 1979 XB third on an unconstrained listing of the Sentry Risk Table.

    2016 NL56 (also written 2016 NL56) is a near-Earth object (NEO) and a potentially hazardous object (PHA), meaning that it has an orbit that can make close approaches to the Earth and large enough to cause significant regional damage in the event of impact. It is an Apollo asteroid, meaning that it is an Earth-crossing asteroid that has an orbit larger than the orbit of the Earth. It was first observed on 12 July 2016, when the asteroid was more than 1 AU from Earth and had a solar elongation of 163 degrees.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 VV</span> Small risk–listed near-Earth asteroid

    2020 VV is an Apollo near-Earth asteroid roughly 12 meters in diameter. On 20 November 2020, the asteroid had a 4.4% chance of impacting Earth on 12 October 2033 11:43 UT. As of mid-December 2020, the asteroid has a modest 61 day observation arc. The nominal Earth approach is on 17 October 2033 at a distance of 0.009 AU, but the line of variations (LOV) is only known with an accuracy of ±22 hours. The line of variations allows the asteroid to come as close as 0.006 AU or pass as far away as 0.01 AU. With a diameter range of 10–22 meters the asteroid could be as large as the Chelyabinsk meteor.

    2021 TP21 is an Apophis-sized asteroid that was discovered on 11 October 2021 when it was 0.5 AU (75 million km) from Earth. This potentially hazardous asteroid (PHA) spends most or its orbit closer to 4 AU (600 million km) from the Sun as objects orbit more slowly when near aphelion (furthest distance from the Sun). 2021 TP21 was rated with a Torino scale of 1 from 31 October 2021 to 4 November 2021 for a potential impact on 27 March 2081. As the observation arc became longer the nominal distance from Earth became further on the potential impact date.

    2022 AE1 is a Tunguska event-sized asteroid, classified as a near-Earth object of the Apollo group, approximately 70 meters (230 feet) in diameter. It was discovered by the Mount Lemmon Survey on 6 January 2022, when it was 0.09 AU (13 million km) from Earth. On 9 January 2022 with an observation arc of 3 days, it was rated with a Torino scale of 1 for a virtual impactor on 4 July 2023 16:28 UTC. Nominal approach is expected to occur 1 July 2023 01:13 ± 1 day. With a Palermo scale rating of as high as –0.66 at the European Space Agency on 11 January 2022, the odds of impact peaked at about 4.6 times less than the background hazard level. NEODyS was the first risk-page to drop to Torino scale 0 on 12 January 2022 followed by ESA on 13 January 2022, but by January 14 both returned to Torino scale 1. On 14 January 2022 the waxing gibbous moon was as little as 3 degrees from the asteroid delaying observations of the asteroid from January 12–19. On 20 January 2022 with a 16-day observation arc, using JPL #11 the Sentry Risk Table dropped the asteroid to Torino scale 0 and then later that day JPL #12 resulted in it being removed from the risk table.

    References

    1. 1 2 3 4 "2019 SU3". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
    2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: (2019 SU3)" (2019-10-21 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Archived from the original on 12 October 2019. Retrieved 30 November 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)()
    3. 1 2 3 Mack, Eric (11 October 2019). "Newly spotted asteroid could one day hit Earth, but don't panic - It's on a list of the riskiest space objects spotted so far, but how much should we really worry?". CNET . Retrieved 12 October 2019.
    4. Wackback Machine Archive for 2019 SU3 on the esa Risk List
    5. Wehner, Mike (12 October 2019). "Newly-discovered asteroid could strike Earth within decades". MSN News . Retrieved 12 October 2019.
    6. Carpineti, Alfredo (10 October 2019). "Newly Discovered Asteroid Is At Slight Risk Of Hitting Earth In 2084". IFLScience . Retrieved 13 October 2019.
    7. Wackback Machine Archive for 2019 SU3 close approaches