Summary
(68950) 2002 QF15 is a stony asteroid, classified as near-Earth object and potentially hazardous asteroid of the Apollo group, that measures approximately 2 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 27 August 2002, by the LINEAR project at Lincoln Laboratory's Experimental Test Site in Socorro, New Mexico, United States.[2]
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | LINEAR |
| Discovery site | Lincoln Lab's ETS |
| Discovery date | 27 August 2002 |
| Designations | |
| (68950) 2002 QF15 | |
| 2002 QF15 | |
| NEO · PHA · Apollo[1][2] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 61.85 yr (22,591 days) |
| Aphelion | 1.4206 AU |
| Perihelion | 0.6930 AU |
| 1.0568 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.3442 |
| 1.09 yr (397 days) | |
| 216.46° | |
| 0° 54m 25.92s / day | |
| Inclination | 25.155° |
| 236.24° | |
| 255.51° | |
| Earth MOID | 0.0068 AU · 2.6 LD |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 1.12±0.03 km[3] 3.49 km (calculated)[4] |
| 29 h[a] 47.0±0.5 h[5] | |
| 0.040 (assumed)[4] 0.428±0.029[3] | |
| S[4] | |
| 16.4[1][3][4] | |
Orbit and classification edit
2002 QF15 is a S-type asteroid that orbits the Sun at a distance of 0.7–1.4 AU once every 1 years and 1 month (397 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.34 and an inclination of 25° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] Taken at Palomar Observatory in 1955, a first precovery from the during the Digitized Sky Survey extends the body's observation arc by 47 years prior to its official discovery observation at Socorro.[2]
It has an Earth minimum orbital intersection distance 0.0063 AU (942,000 km), which translates into 2.6 LD.[1]
Physical characteristics edit
In June 2006, a rotational lightcurve of 2002 QF15 was obtained from photometric observation taken by American astronomer Brian Warner at his Palmer Divide Observatory in Colorado. Lightcurve analysis gave a rotation period of 47 hours with a brightness variation of 0.35 magnitude (U=2),[5] superseding a lightcurve previously obtained by Czech astronomer Petr Pravec at Ondřejov Observatory in 2003, which gave a shorter period of 29 hours and an amplitude of 0.3 magnitude (U=2-).[a]
According to the survey carried out by the Japanese Akari satellite, the asteroid measures 1.12 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.428,[3] while the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.040 and calculates a diameter of 3.49 kilometers with an absolute magnitude of 16.4.[4]
Numbering and naming edit
This minor planet was numbered by the Minor Planet Center on 10 September 2003.[6] As of 2018, it has not been named.[2]
Notes edit
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 68950 (2002 QF15)" (2017-05-29 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
- ^ a b c d "68950 (2002 QF15)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
- ^ a b c d Usui, Fumihiko; Kuroda, Daisuke; Müller, Thomas G.; Hasegawa, Sunao; Ishiguro, Masateru; Ootsubo, Takafumi; et al. (October 2011). "Asteroid Catalog Using Akari: AKARI/IRC Mid-Infrared Asteroid Survey". Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan. 63 (5): 1117–1138. Bibcode:2011PASJ...63.1117U. doi:10.1093/pasj/63.5.1117. (online, AcuA catalog p. 153)
- ^ a b c d e "LCDB Data for (68950)". Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB). Retrieved 22 March 2017.
- ^ a b Warner, Brian D. (December 2006). "Asteroid lightcurve analysis at the Palmer Divide Observatory - March - June 2006". The Minor Planet Bulletin. 33 (4): 85–88. Bibcode:2006MPBu...33...85W. ISSN 1052-8091. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
- ^ "MPC/MPO/MPS Archive". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
External links edit
- Lightcurve plot of (68950) 2002 QF15, Palmer Divide Observatory, B. D. Warner (2006)
- Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, Google books
- (68950) 2002 QF15 at NeoDyS-2, Near Earth Objects—Dynamic Site
- Ephemerides · Observation prediction · Orbital info · MOID · Proper elements · Observational info · Close approaches · Physical info · Orbit animation
- (68950) 2002 QF15 at ESA–space situational awareness
- Ephemerides · Observations · Orbit · Physical properties · Summary
- (68950) 2002 QF15 at the JPL Small-Body Database