2015 YQ1

2015 YQ1
Discovery
Discovered by Mount Lemmon Survey
Discovery date December 19, 2015
Designations
MPC designation 2015 YQ1
Apollo asteroid,[1][2]
Earth crosser
Orbital characteristics[2][3][4]
Epoch January 13, 2016 (JD 2457400.5)
Uncertainty parameter 6
Observation arc 3 days
Aphelion 1.40586 AU
Perihelion 0.59681 AU
1.00134 AU
Eccentricity 0.40398
1.00202 y (365.99 d)
317.067°
Inclination 2.4865°
88.89770°
112.185°
Earth MOID 0.00052 AU
Physical characteristics
Dimensions 7–16 m[a][5]
28.1[2]

    2015 YQ1 (also written 2015 YQ1) is an Apollo asteroid that is a temporary horseshoe companion to the Earth, the twelfth known Earth horseshoe librator.[6] It experienced a close encounter with the Earth on 2015 December 22 at 0.0037 AU.

    Discovery

    2015 YQ1 was discovered on 2015 December 19 by A. D. Grauer observing with the 1.5-m reflector telescope at the Mount Lemmon Survey.[7] As of 9 March 2016, it has been observed 64 times with an observation arc of 3 days.[2]

    Orbit and orbital evolution

    2015 YQ1 is currently an Apollo asteroid (Earth-crossing but with a period greater than a year). Its semi-major axis (currently 1.00134 AU) is similar to that of Earth (1.00074 AU), but it has a relatively high eccentricity (0.40398) and low orbital inclination (2.4865°). It alternates between being an Aten asteroid and being an Apollo asteroid. As of 9 March 2016, this object is the 17th known Earth co-orbital and the 12th known object following a horseshoe path with respect to our planet. Asteroid 2015 YQ1 follows an asymmetrical horseshoe path with respect to our planet; the value of its relative mean longitude oscillates about 180°, but enclosing 0°; its orbital evolution is rather unstable.[6]

    Physical properties

    With an absolute magnitude of 28.1 mag, it has a diameter in the range 7–16 meters (for an assumed albedo range of 0.04–0.20, respectively).

    See also

    Notes

    • ^ This is assuming an albedo of 0.20–0.04.

    References

    1. ↑ List Of Apollo Minor Planets
    2. 1 2 3 4 2015 YQ1 at the JPL Small-Body Database
    3. ↑ AstDys-2 on 2015 YQ1 Retrieved 2016-03-09
    4. ↑ NEODyS-2 on 2015 YQ1 Retrieved 2016-03-09
    5. ↑ Absolute-magnitude conversion table (H)
    6. 1 2 de la Fuente Marcos, Carlos; de la Fuente Marcos, Raúl (1 April 2016). "A trio of horseshoes: past, present and future dynamical evolution of Earth co-orbital asteroids 2015 XX169, 2015 YA and 2015 YQ1". Astrophysics and Space Science. 361 (4): 121 (13 pages). arXiv:1603.02415Freely accessible. Bibcode:2016Ap&SS.361..121D. doi:10.1007/s10509-016-2711-6.
    7. ↑ Discovery MPEC
    Further reading

    External links

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