is a tiny
asteroid
An asteroid is a minor planet of the inner Solar System. Sizes and shapes of asteroids vary significantly, ranging from 1-meter rocks to a dwarf planet almost 1000 km in diameter; they are rocky, metallic or icy bodies with no atmosphere.
...
, classified as a
near-Earth object
A near-Earth object (NEO) is any small Solar System body whose orbit brings it into 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). ...
of the
Aten group moving in a 1:1
mean-motion resonance
In celestial mechanics, orbital resonance occurs when orbiting bodies exert regular, periodic gravitational influence on each other, usually because their orbital periods are related by a ratio of small integers. Most commonly, this relationsh ...
with
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...
. Because of that, it is in a
co-orbital configuration
In astronomy, a co-orbital configuration is a configuration of two or more astronomical objects (such as asteroids, moons, or planets) orbiting at the same, or very similar, distance from their primary, i.e. they are in a 1:1 mean-motion resonance ...
relative to Earth.
Discovery, orbit and physical properties
was discovered by the
Lincoln Near Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) system in orbit around the
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a nearly perfect ball of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core. The Sun radiates this energy mainly as light, ultraviolet, and infrared radi ...
on 20 December 2003. Its diameter is approximately 10 to 30 metres. The object is on
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research.
NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...
's Earth Close Approach list, and is estimated to miss Earth by 0.01
AU. It revolves around the Sun on an Earth-like, almost circular, orbit. Its
orbital period
The orbital period (also revolution period) is the amount of time a given astronomical object takes to complete one orbit around another object. In astronomy, it usually applies to planets or asteroids orbiting the Sun, moons orbiting planets ...
of 363.846
days also is very close to the
sidereal year
A sidereal year (, ; ), also called a sidereal orbital period, is the time that Earth or another planetary body takes to orbit the Sun once with respect to the fixed stars.
Hence, for Earth, it is also the time taken for the Sun to return to the ...
.
Co-orbital with Earth and orbital evolution
From approximately 1997 to 2006, the asteroid remained within of Earth and it appeared to slowly orbit
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...
.
However, is no second
moon
The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...
, as it is not bound to Earth. It is the first discovered member of a postulated group of coorbital objects, or
quasi-satellite
A quasi-satellite is an object in a specific type of co-orbital configuration (1:1 orbital resonance) with a planet (or dwarf planet) where the object stays close to that planet over many orbital periods.
A quasi-satellite's orbit around the Sun t ...
s, which show these path characteristics.
Other members of this group include
10563 Izhdubar,
54509 YORP
54509 YORP, provisional designation , 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. Measureme ...
, , , and . Before 1996, the asteroid had been on a so-called
horseshoe orbit
In celestial mechanics, a horseshoe orbit is a type of co-orbital configuration, co-orbital motion of a small orbiting body relative to a larger orbiting body. The osculating orbit, osculating (instantaneous) orbital period of the smaller body re ...
around the Sun, along the Earth's orbit. After 2006, it had regained such an orbit. This makes it very similar to , which will become a quasi-satellite of Earth in approximately 600 years.
See also
*
Arjuna asteroid The Arjuna asteroids (also known as "Arjunas") are a dynamical group of asteroids in the Solar System. Arjunas are near-Earth objects (NEOs) whose orbits are very Earth-like in character, having low inclination, orbital periods close to one year, ...
*
Natural satellite
A natural satellite is, in the most common usage, an astronomical body that orbits a planet, dwarf planet, or small Solar System body (or sometimes another natural satellite). Natural satellites are often colloquially referred to as ''moons'' ...
*
Quasi-satellite
A quasi-satellite is an object in a specific type of co-orbital configuration (1:1 orbital resonance) with a planet (or dwarf planet) where the object stays close to that planet over many orbital periods.
A quasi-satellite's orbit around the Sun t ...
*
3753 Cruithne
*
6Q0B44E
6Q0B44E, sometimes abbreviated to B44E, is a small object, probably an item of space debris, that is currently orbiting Earth outside the orbit of the Moon as of November 2018.
Discovery
6Q0B44E was first observed by Catalina Sky Survey research ...
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
References
External links
MPEC 2003-Y76 : 2003 YN107(Discovery MPEC)
Tony Phillips, Science@NASA, 9 June 2006.
Horseshoe asteroids and quasi-satellites in Earth-like orbits*
*
*
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