2017 XX61 is a small near-Earth object, approximately 17 meters (56 feet) in diameter that follows an eccentric orbit. This Apollo asteroid was first observed on 15 December 2017, by astronomers of the Mount Lemmon Survey at Mount Lemmon Observatory near Tucson, Arizona.[1] It transited Earth at 8 lunar distances on 18 December 2017 at 14:54 UTC, and was lost on the following night. As of 2020[update], it has not been recovered.[2]
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | MLS |
| Discovery site | Mount Lemmon Obs. |
| Discovery date | 15 December 2017 |
| Designations | |
| 2017 XX61 | |
| NEO · Apollo[1][2] | |
| Orbital characteristics[2] | |
| Epoch 16 December 2017 (JD 2458103.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 8[2] · 7[1] | |
| Observation arc | (1 day) |
| Aphelion | 3.2799 AU |
| Perihelion | 0.7945 AU |
| 2.0372 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.6100 |
| 2.91 yr (1,062 days) | |
| 345.28° | |
| 0° 20m 20.4s / day | |
| Inclination | 8.4261° |
| 81.755° | |
| 67.340° | |
| Earth MOID | 0.0162 AU (6.3 LD) |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 17 m (est. at 0.14)[3] | |
| 26.6[1][2] | |
2017 XX61 orbits the Sun at a distance of 0.8–3.3 AU once every 2 years and 11 months (1,062 days; semi-major axis of 2.04 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.61 and an inclination of 8° with respect to the ecliptic.[2] 2017 XX61 has an Earth minimum orbital intersection distance of 0.0162 AU (2,420,000 km), which translates into 6.3 lunar distances.[2] The asteroid also approached Mars on 11 May 2018.[2]
A generic magnitude-to-diameter conversion gives a mean-diameter of 13–27 meters, for an absolute magnitude of 26.6,[2] and an assumed albedo between 0.25 and 0.057, which typically correspond to the composition of a stony and carbonaceous body, respectively.[3]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "2017 XX61". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: (2017 XX61)" (2017-12-16 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
- ^ a b "Asteroid Size Estimator". CNEOS NASA/JPL. Retrieved 17 January 2018.
External links
edit- 2017 XX61 at NeoDyS-2, Near Earth Objects—Dynamic Site
- 2017 XX61 at ESA–space situational awareness
- 2017 XX61 at the JPL Small-Body Database
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