6239 Minos ('' prov. designation:'' ) is a bright sub-kilometer

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). ...

, classified as a

potentially hazardous asteroid A potentially hazardous object (PHO) is a near-Earth object – either an asteroid or a comet – with an orbit that can make close approaches to the Earth and is large enough to cause significant regional damage in the event of impact. They are ...

of the Apollo group. It was discovered on 31 August 1989, by American astronomer couple Carolyn and

Eugene Shoemaker Eugene Merle Shoemaker (April 28, 1928 – July 18, 1997) was an American geologist. He co-discovered Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9 with his wife Carolyn S. Shoemaker and David H. Levy. This comet hit Jupiter in July 1994: the impact was televise ...

at the Palomar Observatory in California. The asteroid has a rotation period of 3.6 hours and measures approximately in diameter. It makes frequent close approaches to

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Roman god of war. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin at ...

, Earth, and

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never f ...

References

External links

* * * 006239 006239 Discoveries by Eugene Merle Shoemaker Discoveries by Carolyn S. Shoemaker Named minor planets Earth-crossing asteroids Venus-crossing asteroids 19890831 {{NE-asteroid-stub