P/2016 G1 (PanSTARRS)

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P/2016 G1 (PanSTARRS)
Discovery [1]
Discovered by Robert Weryk
Richard Wainscoat
Discovery site Pan-STARRS 1
Haleakala Observatory
Discovery date1 April 2016
Designations
2016 G1
Asteroid belt
Orbital characteristics [2]
Epoch 30 April 2016 (JD 2457508.5)
Observation arc 198 days
Aphelion 3.126 AU
Perihelion 2.040 AU
2.583 AU
4.152 years
295.62°
Inclination 10.968°
204.07°
111.28°
Earth  MOID 1.057 AU
Physical characteristics [3]
Dimensions 200–400 m (660–1,310 ft)
16.1

    P/2016 G1 (PanSTARRS) was a main-belt asteroid that was destroyed by an impact event on 6 March 2016. [4]

    Contents

    Observational history

    It was discovered by Robert Weryk and Richard Wainscoat of the Pan-STARRS 1 survey at Haleakala Observatory. The object was initially thought to be an Encke-type comet because of its diffuse appearance, [5] [6] so it received the periodic comet designation P/2016 G1. [2] After further analysis, what had initially appeared to be a comet's halo turned out to be rubble from a collision. By November 2019, analysis suggested the collision had occurred on 6 March 2016, and the asteroid was struck by a smaller object that may have massed only 1.0 kg (2.2 lb), and was traveling at 11,000 mph (18,000 km/h). [7] P/2016 G1's diameter was between 200 m (660 ft) and 400 m (1,300 ft). [3] The asteroid had completely disintegrated by 2017. [3]

    Astronomers were able to use the asteroid's rubble to determine the date of the collision, since the dispersion of dust was inversely proportional to its size. [3]

    See also

    References

    1. ↑ G. V. Williams (4 April 2016). "MPEC 2016-G72: Comet P/2016 G1 (PanSTARRS)". www.minorplanetcenter.net. Minor Planet Center . Retrieved 1 January 2025.
    2. 1 2 "P/2016 G1 (PANSTARRS) – JPL Small-Body Database Lookup". ssd.jpl.nasa.gov. Jet Propulsion Laboratory . Retrieved 8 January 2020.
    3. 1 2 3 4 N. T. Redd (20 November 2019). "Deadly Collision Blows an Asteroid Apart". Eos . Archived from the original on 1 December 2019. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
    4. ↑ O. R. Hainaut; J. T. Kleyna; K. J. Meech; M. Boslough; M. Micheli; et al. (2019). "Disintegration of Active Asteroid P/2016 G1 (PANSTARRS)" (PDF). Astronomy & Astrophysics. 628. arXiv: 1907.00751 . doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/201935868 .
    5. ↑ F. Moreno; J. Licandro; A. Cabrera-Lavers; F. J. Pozuelos (2016). "Early evolution of disrupted asteroid P/2016 G1 (PANSTARRS)". The Astrophysical Journal Letters. 826 (2): L22. arXiv: 1607.03375 . Bibcode:2016ApJ...826L..22M. doi: 10.3847/2041-8205/826/2/L22 . S2CID   118413776.
    6. ↑ C. dela Fuente Marcos; R. dela Fuente Marcos (2022). "Recent arrivals to the main asteroid belt". Celestial Mechanics and Dynamical Astronomy. 134 (5): 38. arXiv: 2207.07013 . Bibcode:2022CeMDA.134...38D. doi: 10.1007/s10569-022-10094-4 . ISSN   0923-2958. S2CID   251638931.
    7. ↑ R. G. Andrews (26 November 2019). "This Is What It Looks Like When an Asteroid Gets Destroyed". The New York Times . Archived from the original on 6 June 2022. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
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