(612600) 2003 SM84
Near-Earth asteroid
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(612600) 2003 SM84 is a sub-kilometer asteroid, classified as near-Earth object of the Amor group orbiting between Earth and Mars. It was first observed by the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) at the Lincoln Laboratory ETS on 20 September 2003.[1] As of 2026, this minor planet has not been named.[1]
(first observed only)
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | LINEAR |
| Discovery site | Lincoln Laboratory ETS |
| Discovery date | 20 September 2003 (first observed only) |
| Designations | |
| 2003 SM84 | |
| NEO · Amor[1][2] | |
| Orbital characteristics[2] | |
| Epoch 27 April 2019 (JD 2458600.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 1 | |
| Observation arc | 18.24 yr (6,663 d) |
| Aphelion | 1.2177 AU |
| Perihelion | 1.0331 AU |
| 1.1254 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.0820 |
| 1.19 yr (436 d) | |
| 279.101° | |
| 0° 49m 32.16s / day | |
| Inclination | 2.7961° |
| 186.633° | |
| 87.375° | |
| Earth MOID | 0.0510 AU (19.8685 LD) |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 75 m (est. at 0.20)[3] 140 m (est. at 0.057)[3] | |
| 23.0[2] | |
2003 SM84 is an Amor asteroid – a subgroup of near-Earth asteroids that approach the orbit of Earth from beyond, but do not cross it. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 1.0–1.2 AU once every 14 months (436 days; semi-major axis of 1.22 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.08 and an inclination of 3° with respect to the ecliptic.[2] The body's observation arc begins with its first observation by LINEAR in 2003.[1]
The object's spectral type remains unknown.[2] Using a magnitude-to-diameter conversion, 2003 SM84 measures 75 and 140 meters in diameter, based on an absolute magnitude of 23.0 and an assumed albedo of 0.20 (S-type) and 0.057 (C-type), respectively.[3] 2003 SM84 was being considered by the European Space Agency as a candidate target for the Don Quijote mission to study the effects of impacting a spacecraft into an asteroid.[4]
