2012 LZ1
Asteroid classified as near-Earth object
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
2012 LZ1 is an asteroid classified as near-Earth object and potentially hazardous asteroid of the Amor group, approximately 1 km (0.62 mi) in diameter.[4] It passed within 5.4 million kilometers (14 lunar distances) of Earth on 14 June 2012.[4] It was discovered during the night of 10–11 June 2012 by astronomer Robert H. McNaught and his colleagues using the 0.5-meter Uppsala Southern Schmidt Telescope at the Siding Spring Observatory in Australia, just four days before its closest approach to Earth.[5][6]
Radar image of 2012 LZ1 by the Arecibo Observatory in 2012 | |
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Robert H. McNaught |
| Discovery site | Siding Spring Survey |
| Discovery date | 10 June 2012 |
| Designations | |
| 2012 LZ1 | |
| Orbital characteristics[2] | |
| Epoch 13 January 2016 (JD 2457400.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 2 | |
| Aphelion | 4.0667 AU (608.37 Gm) (Q) |
| Perihelion | 1.0492 AU (156.96 Gm) (q) |
| 2.5579 AU (382.66 Gm) (a) | |
| Eccentricity | 0.58984 (e) |
| 4.09 yr (1494.3 d) | |
| 312.53° (M) | |
| 0° 14m 27.312s / day (n) | |
| Inclination | 26.102° (i) |
| 264.53° (Ω) | |
| 14.241° (ω) | |
| Earth MOID | 0.043164 AU (6.4572 Gm) |
| Jupiter MOID | 1.1348 AU (169.76 Gm) |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | ~1 km[3] |
| 12.87 h (0.536 d) | |
| 10–15 hr[3] | |
| 0.02–0.04[3] | |
| 19.9[2] | |
Overview
Arecibo radar observations on 19 June 2012 have shown that 2012 LZ1 is about 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) in diameter and that 2012 LZ1 has zero chance of impacting the Earth for at least the next 750 years.[3]
A small change of trajectory caused by Earth's gravity was predicted from the 2012 passby.[7] The Slooh Space Camera streamed live footage of the passby over the Internet.[6] McNaught and Astronomy magazine columnist Bob Berman hosted the broadcast.[5] "We love it when stuff like this happens, because it's fun to do and the public appreciates it", said Slooh president Patrick Paolucci.[7] The asteroid was the same brightness as a 13th-magnitude star, too faint to be seen by the naked eye or a low-end telescope.[5][7]
The next passby for 2012 LZ1 was 27 July 2016 at 0.5 AU (75,000,000 km; 46,000,000 mi) from Earth.[7][8]
See also
- 2005 YU55, a near-Earth asteroid roughly half the size.
- Near-Earth Asteroid Tracking
