(68950) 2002 QF15
Near-Earth asteroid
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(68950) 2002 QF15 is a stony asteroid, classified as near-Earth object and potentially hazardous asteroid of the Apollo group, that measures approximately 2 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 27 August 2002, by the LINEAR project at Lincoln Laboratory's Experimental Test Site in Socorro, New Mexico, United States.[2]
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | LINEAR |
| Discovery site | Lincoln Lab's ETS |
| Discovery date | 27 August 2002 |
| Designations | |
| (68950) 2002 QF15 | |
| 2002 QF15 | |
| NEO · PHA · Apollo[1][2] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 61.85 yr (22,591 days) |
| Aphelion | 1.4206 AU |
| Perihelion | 0.6930 AU |
| 1.0568 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.3442 |
| 1.09 yr (397 days) | |
| 216.46° | |
| 0° 54m 25.92s / day | |
| Inclination | 25.155° |
| 236.24° | |
| 255.51° | |
| Earth MOID | 0.0068 AU · 2.6 LD |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 1.12±0.03 km[3] 3.49 km (calculated)[4] |
| 29 h[a] 47.0±0.5 h[5] | |
| 0.040 (assumed)[4] 0.428±0.029[3] | |
| S[4] | |
| 16.4[1][3][4] | |
Orbit and classification
2002 QF15 is a S-type asteroid that orbits the Sun at a distance of 0.7â1.4 AU once every 1 years and 1 month (397 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.34 and an inclination of 25° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] Taken at Palomar Observatory in 1955, a first precovery from the during the Digitized Sky Survey extends the body's observation arc by 47 years prior to its official discovery observation at Socorro.[2]
It has an Earth minimum orbital intersection distance 0.0063 AU (942,000 km), which translates into 2.6 LD.[1]
Physical characteristics
In June 2006, a rotational lightcurve of 2002 QF15 was obtained from photometric observation taken by American astronomer Brian Warner at his Palmer Divide Observatory in Colorado. Lightcurve analysis gave a rotation period of 47 hours with a brightness variation of 0.35 magnitude (U=2),[5] superseding a lightcurve previously obtained by Czech astronomer Petr Pravec at OndÅejov Observatory in 2003, which gave a shorter period of 29 hours and an amplitude of 0.3 magnitude (U=2-).[a]
According to the survey carried out by the Japanese Akari satellite, the asteroid measures 1.12 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.428,[3] while the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.040 and calculates a diameter of 3.49 kilometers with an absolute magnitude of 16.4.[4]
Numbering and naming
This minor planet was numbered by the Minor Planet Center on 10 September 2003.[6] As of 2018, it has not been named.[2]
Notes
- Pravec (2003) web: rotation period 29 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.3 mag. Summary figures at Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link for (68950) and unpublished data sheet from the Ondrejov Asteroid Photometry Project