2020 VT1
Near-Earth asteroid
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
2020 VT1 is a small asteroid, classified as a near-Earth object of the Amor group, that is a temporary horseshoe companion to Mars.[4]
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Pan-STARRS1 |
| Discovery site | Haleakalā Obs. |
| Discovery date | 10 November 2020 |
| Designations | |
| 2020 VT1 | |
| NEO–Amor[1][2] | |
| Orbital characteristics[2] | |
| Epoch 31 May 2020 (JD 2459000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 6[2] · 5[1] | |
| Observation arc | 24 days |
| Aphelion | 1.7774 AU |
| Perihelion | 1.2687 AU |
| 1.5231 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1670 |
| 1.88 yr (687 d) | |
| 315.41° | |
| 0° 31m 27.84s / day | |
| Inclination | 18.717° |
| 50.169° | |
| 296.19° | |
| Earth MOID | 0.3504 AU (136 LD) |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 89 m (est. at 0.15)[3] | |
| 22.921[2] · 23.0[1] | |
Discovery
2020 VT1 was discovered on 10 November 2020, by J. Bulger, K. Chambers, T. Lowe, A. Schultz, and M. Willman observing for the survey conducted by Pan-STARRS at Haleakalā Observatory, Hawaii.[1][5] As of 20 January 2021, it has been observed 28 times with an observation arc of 24 days.[2]
Orbit and orbital evolution
2020 VT1 is currently an Amor asteroid, a subgroup of the near-Earth objects that approach the orbit of Earth from beyond, but do not cross it. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 1.3–1.8 AU once every 23 months (687 days; semi-major axis of 1.52 AU). Its orbit has a moderate eccentricity of 0.17 and an inclination of 19° with respect to the ecliptic.[2] It is most notable for its horseshoe orbit, a complex co-orbital motion with Mars, as both bodies have similar semi-major axes.[4] The object can also be classified as a Mars-crosser, intersecting the orbit of the Red Planet at 1.66 AU.[2]
