(7888) 1993 UC is a
near-Earth minor planet
According to the International Astronomical Union (IAU), a minor planet is an astronomical object in direct orbit around the Sun that is exclusively classified as neither a planet nor a comet. Before 2006, the IAU officially used the term '' ...
in the
Apollo group
Apollo Education Group, Inc. is an American corporation based in the South Phoenix area of Phoenix, Arizona, with an additional corporate office in Chicago, Illinois.
The company owns and operates several higher-learning institutions, includin ...
.
It was discovered by
Robert H. McNaught at the
Siding Spring Observatory
Siding Spring Observatory near Coonabarabran, New South Wales, Australia, part of the Research School of Astronomy & Astrophysics (RSAA) at the Australian National University (ANU), incorporates the Anglo-Australian Telescope along with a co ...
in
Coonabarabran, New South Wales
Coonabarabran
is a town in Warrumbungle Shire that sits on the divide between the Central West and North West Slopes regions of New South Wales, Australia. At the 2016 census, the town had a population of 2,537, Material was copied from this so ...
, Australia, on 20 October 1993.
The asteroid has an observation arc of 23 years and has a well determined orbit.
Its estimated size is 2.3 to 5.2 km.
On 20 March 2013, the asteroid passed 49
lunar distances or from Earth at a relative velocity of .
The approach posed no threat to Earth. (7888) 1993 UC is not 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 ...
(PHA) because its Earth MOID (
Minimum Orbit Intersection Distance
Minimum orbit intersection distance (MOID) is a measure used in astronomy to assess potential close approaches and collision risks between astronomical objects. It is defined as the distance between the closest points of the osculating orbits of ...
) is only 0.089 AU,
and only objects with an Earth MOID less than 0.05 AU are considered PHAs.
[NASA/JP]