is a dark, sub-kilometer near-Earth object and potentially hazardous asteroid of the Aten group that flew by Earth on 6 June 2020. The highly elongated X-type asteroid has a rotation period of 14.5 hours and measures approximately in diameter. It was discovered by LINEAR at the Lincoln Laboratory's Experimental Test Site in New Mexico on 9 July 2002.

Orbit

flew by Earth on 6 June 2020, passing from Earth. The asteroid had been recovered two days earlier on 4 June 2020. By 11 June 2020, the asteroid had brightened to apparent magnitude 14.4, which is roughly the brightness of Pluto.

Being a member of the Aten asteroids, orbits the Sun at a distance of 0.50–1.26 AU once every 10 months (300 days; semi-major axis of 0.88 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.43 and an inclination of 5° with respect to the ecliptic. It was first observed by the Near-Earth Asteroid Tracking on Palomar Observatory on 2 July 2002, or seven nights prior to its official discovery observation by LINEAR. This asteroid has an Earth minimum orbit intersection distance of , which corresponds to 2.7 lunar distances (LD).

Physical characteristics

A spectroscopic survey of the small near-Earth asteroid population conducted by European astronomers determined that is an X-type asteroid. Because of the objects low albedo (see below), it would be considered a primitive P-type asteroid in the Tholen classification.

Diameter and albedo

According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, measures () meters in diameter, and its surface has a dark albedo of (). (The NEOWISE publication uses the designation G3348 for this asteroid.) In 2016, astronomers using the European New Technology Telescope at La Silla Observatory found a diameter of 613 meters with an albedo of 0.047.

Rotation period

In August 2016, the first rotational lightcurve of was obtained from photometric observations over five nights by Brian Warner at the Center for Solar System Studies in California. Lightcurve analysis gave a rotation period of hours with a high brightness variation of magnitude, indicative of a highly elongated shape ().

Notes

References

External links Stadium-size asteroid will safely fly by Earth tonight, Space.com Small Asteroid to Safely Fly by Earth, NASA Asteroid 163348, Small Body Data Ferret Discovery Circumstances: Numbered Minor Planets (160001)-(165000) – Minor Planet Center