1862 Apollo

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1862 Apollo
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A three-dimensional model of 1862 Apollo based on its light-curve
Discovery[1]
Discovered by K. Reinmuth
Discovery site Heidelberg Obs.
Discovery date 24 April 1932
Designations
Named after
Apollo
(Greek mythology)
1932 HA
NEO · PHA
Venus-crosser
Mars-crosser
Apollo Apollo
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 16 October 2009 (JD 2455120.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc 84.25 yr (30,774 days)
Aphelion 2.2934 AU (343.09 Gm)
Perihelion 0.6469 AU (96.77 Gm)
1.4702 AU (219.94 Gm)
Eccentricity 0.5599
1.78 yr (651 days)
103.31°
Inclination 6.3529°
35.741°
285.84°
Earth MOID 0.0257 AU (3.84 Gm)
Physical characteristics
Dimensions 1.5 km (0.93 mi)[2]
3.065 hours
0.25[2]
Surface temp. min mean max
Kelvin[3] 171 K 214 K 322 K
Celsius -102°C -59°C 49°C
Fahrenheit -151.6°F -74.2°F 120.2°F
Q (Tholen, SMASS)
B–V = 0.819
U–B = 0.481
16.25[1]

1862 Apollo /əˈpɒl/ is a stony asteroid, approximately 1.5 kilometers in diameter, classified as a near-Earth object (NEO). It was discovered by German astronomer Karl Reinmuth at Heidelberg Observatory on 24 April 1932, but lost and not recovered until 1973.

It is the namesake and the first recognized member of the Apollo asteroids, a subgroup of NEOs which are Earth-crosser, that is they cross the orbit of Earth when view perpendicular to the ecliptic plane (crossing an orbit is a more general term that actually intersecting it). In addition, since Apollo's orbit is highly eccentric, it crosses the orbits of Venus and Mars and is therefore called a Venus-crosser and Mars-crosser as well.

Although Apollo was the first Apollo asteroid to be discovered, its official IAU-number (1862) is higher than that of some other Apollo asteroids such as 1566 Icarus, due to the fact that is was a lost asteroid for more than 40 years and other bodies were numbered in the meantime. The analysis of its rotation provided observational evidence of the YORP effect.[4]

It is named after the Greek god Apollo. He is the god of the Sun, child of Zeus and Leto, after which the minor planets 5731 Zeus and 68 Leto are named.[5]

Moon

On November 4, 2005, it was announced that an asteroid moon, or satellite of Apollo, had been detected by radar observations from Arecibo Observatory, Puerto Rico, October 29 – November 2, 2005. The standard provisional designation for this satellite is S/2005 (1862) 1. The announcement is contained in the International Astronomical Union Circular (IAUC) 8627.[6] The satellite is only 80 m (260 ft) across and orbits Apollo just 3 km (1.9 mi) away from the asteroid itself.[7] From the surface of Apollo, S/2005 (1862) 1 would have an angular diameter of about 2.0835 degrees.[lower-alpha 1]

Potentially hazardous object

1862 Apollo is a potentially hazardous asteroid (PHA) because its minimum orbit intersection distance (MOID) is less than 0.05 AU and its diameter is greater than 150 meters. Apollo's Earth MOID is 0.0257 AU (3,840,000 km; 2,390,000 mi).[1] Its orbit is well-determined for the next several hundred years. On 17 May 2075 it will pass 0.0083 AU (1,240,000 km; 770,000 mi) from Venus.[1]

See also

Notes

  1. Calculated from the formula \delta = (206265) d / D arcseconds. (see Angular diameter)

References

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External links