Astronomy:(308635) 2005 YU55

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Short description: Potentially hazardous near-Earth asteroid


(308635) 2005 YU55
2005YU55-20111107.jpg
Goldstone radar image of asteroid 2005 YU55
taken 7 November 2011.
Discovery[1]
Discovered byR. S. McMillan
Steward Observatory
Kitt Peak (691)
Discovery date28 December 2005
Designations
(308635) 2005 YU55
2005 YU55
Minor planet category
Orbital characteristics[2]
Epoch 13 January 2016 (JD 2457400.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc2,183 days (5.98 yr)
|{{{apsis}}}|helion}}1.65562913 astronomical unit|AU (247.678593 Gm) (Q)
|{{{apsis}}}|helion}}0.659003712 AU (98.5855521 Gm) (q)
1.15731642 AU (173.132072 Gm) (a)
Eccentricity0.430576028 (e)
Orbital period1.25 Jyr (454.75 d)
Mean anomaly175.227687° (M)
Mean motion0° 47m 29.892s / day (n)
Inclination0.340553512° (i)
Longitude of ascending node35.9073158° (Ω)
273.628156° (ω)
Known satellitesnone[3]
Earth MOID0.000433476 AU (64,847.1 km)
(0.17 LD)[2]
Venus MOID0.0017 AU
(0.66 LD)[4]
Mars MOID0.03884 AU
(15.11 LD)[4]
Jupiter MOID3.60813 AU (539.769 Gm)
TJupiter5.347
Physical characteristics
Dimensions360±40 m[5][6][7][8]
Mean radius0.2 km
Rotation period18 h (0.75 d)
Sidereal rotation period19.31±0.02 h[2][9]
Geometric albedo0.042±0.008
C-type[6][9][10]
Absolute magnitude (H)21.9[2][9]


(308635) 2005 YU55, provisionally named 2005 YU55, is a potentially hazardous asteroid[2] 360±40 meters in diameter, as measured after its Earth flyby.[8] Previously it was estimated to be 310 meters[5] or about 400 m (1,300 feet) in diameter.[6][7] It was discovered on 28 December 2005 by Robert S. McMillan at Steward Observatory, Kitt Peak.[1] On 8 November 2011 it passed 0.85 lunar distances (324,900 kilometers; 201,900 miles)[11] from Earth.

8 November 2011 flyby

Animation of the trajectory of asteroid 2005 YU55 compared with the orbits of Earth and the Moon on 8–9 November 2011.
Trajectory of asteroid 2005 YU55 compared with the orbits of Earth and the Moon on 8–9 November 2011.
Skymap showing apparent trajectory of 2005 YU55.
Apparent trajectory on 8–9 November 2011.

In February 2010, (308635) 2005 YU55 was rated 1 on the Torino Scale for a potential pass near Earth on 10 November 2103,[12] that posed no unusual level of danger. On 19 April 2010, radar ranging by the Arecibo radio telescope reduced uncertainties about the orbit by 50%.[7] This improvement eliminated any possibility of an impact with Earth within the next 100 years.[7] It was removed from the Sentry Risk Table on 22 April 2010 and as such it now has a rating of 0 on the Torino Scale.[13] It is now known that on 10 November 2103 (308635) 2005 YU55 will be roughly 2 AU from Earth.[14]

On 8 November 2011 at 23:28 UT the asteroid passed 0.85 LD (330,000 km; 200,000 mi) from Earth.[11] On 9 November 2011 at 07:13 UT the asteroid passed 0.6231 LD (239,500 km; 148,800 mi) from the Moon.[15] During the close approach the asteroid reached about apparent magnitude 11,[6][16] and would have been visible to experienced observers using high-end binoculars with an objective lens of 80+ mm if it were not for bright moonlight preventing a true dark sky. Since the gibbous moon did interfere with the viewing,[3] observers trying to visually locate the asteroid required a telescope with an aperture of 6 inches (15 centimeters) or larger.[3][11]

The next few times a known asteroid this large will come this close to Earth will be in 2028[3] when (153814) 2001 WN5 passes 0.65 LD from Earth,[17] and in 2029 when the 325-meter 99942 Apophis comes even closer at just 0.10 LD.[18]

According to Jay Melosh, if an asteroid the size of (308635) 2005 YU55 (~400 m across) were to hit land, it would create a crater 6.3 km (3.9 mi) across, 518 m (1,699 ft) deep and generate a seven-magnitude-equivalent-earthquake.[19] The chances of an actual collision with an asteroid like (308635) 2005 YU55 is about 1 percent in the next thousand years.[19]

Study

File:Swift Captures Flyby of Asteroid 2005 YU55.ogv During the 2011 passage (308635) 2005 YU55 was studied with radar using Goldstone, Arecibo, the Very Long Baseline Array, and the Green Bank Telescope.[3] The Herschel Space Observatory has made far-infrared measurements of (308635) 2005 YU55 on 10 November, helping determine its temperature and composition.[20]

Radar analysis has also helped to pin down the asteroid's albedo, or diffuse reflectivity. Although radar measurements do not detect visible light they can determine the distance and size of an object with a high degree of accuracy. This information, coupled with visible light measurements, provides a more accurate measure of an object's absolute magnitude, and therefore its albedo.

On 8 November 2011, NASA released a statement mentioning a number of structures on the surface of the asteroid, which were detected as it passed near Earth.[21] On 11 November 2011, higher-resolution images showed concavities, a ridge near the asteroid's equator, and numerous features interpreted as decameter-scale boulders.[8][22] Shape modeling based on the radar images shows that YU55's shape is close to spheroidal, with maximum dimensions of 360±40 m, and an equator-aligned ridge. A 150–200 meter-long, ~20 meter-high rise forms a portion of the ridge-line, and the number of boulders on the surface is comparable to that seen on the asteroid 25143 Itokawa by the Hayabusa spacecraft.[8]

Optical lightcurve measurements during the flyby provided a more accurate estimate of the asteroid's spin period – about 19.3 hours.[9] Because (308635) 2005 YU55 is so nearly spheroidal, it was not significantly torqued by Earth's tides during the flyby, and there is no evidence of non-principal-axis rotation. Optical, near-infrared,[10] and ultraviolet[23] spectroscopy confirmed that 2005 YU55 is a C-type asteroid.

Future trajectory

On 19 January 2029, (308635) 2005 YU55 will pass 0.0023 AU (340,000 km; 210,000 mi) from Venus.[15] The close approach distance to Venus in 2029 will determine how close the asteroid will pass to Earth in 2041.[3] Before the November 2011 observations, the uncertainties in the post-2029 trajectory showed that the asteroid would pass somewhere between 0.002 AU (300,000 km; 190,000 mi) and 0.3 AU (45,000,000 km; 28,000,000 mi) of Earth in 2041.[3] Radar astrometry in November 2011 clarified the Earth passage in 2041 and beyond.[3] As a result of the November 2011 radar observations, it is now known that (308635) 2005 YU55 will pass between 0.1017 AU (15,210,000 km; 9,450,000 mi) and 0.1020 AU of Earth on 12 November 2041.[15] Using the current uncertainty region integrated until the future, the 2075 approach will be between 0.0013 AU (190,000 km; 120,000 mi) and 0.0021 AU (310,000 km; 200,000 mi).[15]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 "MPEC 2005 Y47 : 2005 YU55". IAU Minor Planet Center. 2005-12-29. https://minorplanetcenter.net/mpec/K05/K05Y47.html. 
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 "last observation: 2011-12-16; arc: 5.98 years". https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=2005YU55. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 Dr. Lance A. M. Benner (2011-10-29). "2005 YU55 Goldstone Radar Observations Planning". NASA/JPL Asteroid Radar Research. http://echo.jpl.nasa.gov/asteroids/2005YU55/2005YU55_planning.html. 
  4. 4.0 4.1 "Minor Planet Center – 2005 YU55". Minor Planet Center. https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/db_search/show_object?object_id=2005+YU55. 
  5. 5.0 5.1 The Herschel Space Observatory catches a glimpse of the minor planet during its rendezvous with Earth (17 November 2011)
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Don Yeomans; Lance Benner (March 10, 2011). "Asteroid 2005 YU55 to approach Earth on November 8, 2011". NASA/JPL Near-Earth Object Program Office. Archived from the original on 24 April 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110424015323/http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news171.html. 
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Blaine Friedlander, Jr. (April 30, 2010). "Arecibo telescope tracks 'potentially dangerous' asteroid within 1.5 million miles of Earth". Cornell Chronicle @ Cornell University. Archived from the original. Error: If you specify |archiveurl=, you must also specify |archivedate=. https://web.archive.org/web/20110523103203/http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/April10/AreciboAsteroid.html. 
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 "Shape and spin of near-Earth asteroid 308635 (2005 YU55) from radar images and speckle tracking". LPI. March 31, 2012. http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/acm2012/pdf/6179.pdf. 
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 "CCD photometric observations of 2005 YU55 during the 2011 November flyby". LPI. March 31, 2012. http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/acm2012/pdf/6013.pdf. 
  10. 10.0 10.1 N.A. Moskovitz (March 31, 2012). "The near-Earth encounter of 2005 YU55: Time-resolved visible and near-infrared spectroscopy". LPI. http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/acm2012/pdf/6382.pdf. 
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 "NASA in Final Preparations for Nov. 8 Asteroid Flyby". NASA/JPL. October 26, 2011. http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2011-332. 
  12. "Earth impact risk summary: 2005 YU55". NASA/JPL Near-Earth Object program office. 2010-03-25. http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/risk/2005yu55.html. 
    "6.1e-04 = 1 in 1,640 chance". http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/ip?6.1e-04. 
  13. "Date/Time Removed". NASA/JPL Near-Earth Object Program Office. Archived from the original. Error: If you specify |archiveurl=, you must also specify |archivedate=. https://web.archive.org/web/20110426000059/http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/risk/removed.html. 
  14. "(308635) 2005YU55 Ephemerides for 10 November 2103". NEODyS (Near Earth Objects – Dynamic Site). https://newton.spacedys.com/neodys/index.php?pc=1.1.3.1&n=308635&oc=500&y0=2103&m0=11&d0=09&h0=0&mi0=0&y1=2103&m1=11&d1=11&h1=0&mi1=0&ti=1.0&tiu=days. 
  15. 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 "last observation: 2011-12-16; arc: 5.98 years". https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=2005YU55;cad=1#cad. 
  16. "2005 YU55 Ephemerides for 9 Nov 2011". https://newton.spacedys.com/neodys/index.php?pc=1.1.3.1&n=2005YU55&oc=500&y0=2011&m0=11&d0=8&h0=0&mi0=0&y1=2011&m1=11&d1=12&h1=0&mi1=0&ti=1.0&tiu=hours. 
  17. "Last observation: 2011-01-04; arc: 14.9 years". https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=2001WN5;cad=1#cad. 
  18. "NEO Earth Close-Approaches (Between 1900 A.D. and 2200 A.D., NEOs with H <=22, nominal distance within 5 LD)". Near-Earth Object Program Office. NASA/JPL. http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/neo_ca?type=NEO&hmax=22&sort=dist&sdir=ASC&tlim=all&dmax=5LD&max_rows=20&action=Display+Table&show=1. Retrieved 17 May 2015. 
  19. 19.0 19.1 Elizabeth K. Gardner (October 31, 2011). "Large asteroid to pass by Earth Nov. 8, but what if it didn't?". Purdue University. http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/research/2011/111031T-MeloshAsteroid.html. 
  20. Chris North (6 November 2011). "Herschel to observe near-Earth asteroid". UK outreach site for the Herschel Space Observatory. http://herschel.cf.ac.uk/news/herschel-observe-near-earth-asteroid. 
  21. "NASA releases radar movie of Asteroid 2005 YU55". NASA. November 8, 2011. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/asteroids/news/yu55-20111108.html. 
  22. "NASA releases updated radar movie of asteroid 2005 YU55 (2011–351)". NASA/JPL. 2011-11-11. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/asteroids/news/yu55-20111111_prt.htm. 
  23. Bodewits, Dennis (5 December 2011). "2005 YU_55". http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/cbet/002900/CBET002937.txt. 

External links

Preceded by
2002 MN
Large NEO Earth close approach
(inside the orbit of the Moon)

8 November 2011, and
8 November 2075
Succeeded by
2011 XC2