is a sub-kilometer asteroid, classified as a near-Earth object of the Aten group, that is a temporary horseshoe companion to the Earth. There are dozens of known Earth horseshoe librators, some of which switch periodically between the quasi-satellite and the horseshoe co-orbital states.
Discovery
was discovered on 12 August 2020 by L. Denneau, J. Tonry, A. Heinze, and H. Weiland observing for the ATLAS-HKO Survey.Discovery MPEC As of 20 January 2021, it has been observed 41 times with an observation arc of 361 days.
Orbit and orbital evolution is currently an Aten asteroid (Earth-crossing but with a period less than a year). Its semi-major axis (currently 0.998105754 AU) is similar to that of Earth (0.999789 AU), but it has a moderate eccentricity (0.1269557) and low orbital inclination (4.80807°). It alternates between being an Aten asteroid and being an Apollo asteroid, although its orbital evolution is not fully stable and it can be considered as a temporary co-orbital companion to the Earth.
Physical properties
With an absolute magnitude of 25.5 mag, it has a diameter in the range of 10–50 meters (for an assumed albedo range of 0.04–0.20, respectively).
Exploration
was pre-selected for an exploration by a Chinese mission of planetary defense including an impactor and a separate orbiter planned to launch in 2026. However, in April 2023, the new target is 2019 VL5.
See also
54509 YORP
3753 Cruithne
Notes
This is assuming an albedo of 0.20–0.04.
References
Further reading
External links Discovery MPEC data at MPC