6239 Minos
Bright sub-kilometer near-Earth object
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6239 Minos (prov. designation: 1989 QF) is a bright sub-kilometer near-Earth object, classified as a potentially hazardous asteroid of the Apollo group. It was discovered on 31 August 1989, by American astronomer couple Carolyn and Eugene Shoemaker at the Palomar Observatory in California. The asteroid has a rotation period of 3.6 hours and measures approximately 0.5 kilometers (0.3 miles) in diameter. It makes frequent close approaches to Mars, Earth, and Venus.[3]
Discoverydate31 August 1989
(6239) Minos
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | |
| Discovery site | Palomar Obs. |
| Discovery date | 31 August 1989 |
| Designations | |
| (6239) Minos | |
| Pronunciation | /ˈmaɪnɒs, -əs/[1][2] |
Named after | Minos |
| 1989 QF | |
| PHA[3] | |
| Orbital characteristics[3] | |
| Epoch 13 January 2016 (JD 2457400.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 12039 days (32.96 yr) |
| Aphelion | 1.6268 AU (243.37 Gm) |
| Perihelion | 0.67620 AU (101.158 Gm) |
| 1.1515 AU (172.26 Gm) | |
| Eccentricity | 0.41276 |
| 1.24 yr (451.32 d) | |
| 191.37° | |
| 0° 47m 51.576s / day | |
| Inclination | 3.9450° |
| 344.618° | |
| 239.663° | |
| Earth MOID | 0.0261927 AU (10 LD) |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 474 m[4] | |
| 3.5558 h[3] | |
| 0.57[4] | |
| 18.5 | |
