astro.wikisort.org - Asteroid

(68950) 2002 QF₁₅ is a stony asteroid, classified as near-Earth object and potentially hazardous asteroid of the Apollo group, that measures approximately 2 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 27 August 2002, by the LINEAR project at Lincoln Laboratory's Experimental Test Site in Socorro, New Mexico, United States.[2]

(68950) 2002 QF₁₅

Discovery[1]
Discovered by	LINEAR
Discovery site	Lincoln Lab's ETS
Discovery date	27 August 2002
Designations
MPC designation	(68950) 2002 QF15
Alternative designations	2002 QF15
Minor planet category	NEO · PHA · Apollo[1][2]
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc	61.85 yr (22,591 days)
Aphelion	1.4206 AU
Perihelion	0.6930 AU
Semi-major axis	1.0568 AU
Eccentricity	0.3442
Orbital period (sidereal)	1.09 yr (397 days)
Mean anomaly	216.46°
Mean motion	0° 54m 25.92s / day
Inclination	25.155°
Longitude of ascending node	236.24°
Argument of perihelion	255.51°
Earth MOID	0.0068 AU · 2.6 LD
Physical characteristics
Dimensions	1.12±0.03 km[3] 3.49 km (calculated)[4]
Synodic rotation period	29 h[lower-alpha 1] 47.0±0.5 h[5]
Geometric albedo	0.040 (assumed)[4] 0.428±0.029[3]
Spectral type	S[4]
Absolute magnitude (H)	16.4[1][3][4]

Orbit and classification

2002 QF₁₅ is a S-type asteroid that orbits the Sun at a distance of 0.7–1.4 AU once every 1 years and 1 month (397 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.34 and an inclination of 25° with respect to the ecliptic.[1] Taken at Palomar Observatory in 1955, a first precovery from the during the Digitized Sky Survey extends the body's observation arc by 47 years prior to its official discovery observation at Socorro.[2]

It has an Earth minimum orbital intersection distance 0.0063 AU (942,000 km), which translates into 2.6 LD.[1]

Physical characteristics

In June 2006, a rotational lightcurve of 2002 QF₁₅ was obtained from photometric observation taken by American astronomer Brian Warner at his Palmer Divide Observatory in Colorado. Lightcurve analysis gave a rotation period of 47 hours with a brightness variation of 0.35 magnitude (U=2),[5] superseding a lightcurve previously obtained by Czech astronomer Petr Pravec at Ondřejov Observatory in 2003, which gave a shorter period of 29 hours and an amplitude of 0.3 magnitude (U=2-).[lower-alpha 1]

According to the survey carried out by the Japanese Akari satellite, the asteroid measures 1.12 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.428,[3] while the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes an albedo of 0.040 and calculates a diameter of 3.49 kilometers with an absolute magnitude of 16.4.[4]

Numbering and naming

This minor planet was numbered by the Minor Planet Center on 10 September 2003.[6] As of 2018, it has not been named.[2]

Notes

References

External links

• Lightcurve plot of (68950) 2002 QF15, Palmer Divide Observatory, B. D. Warner (2006)
• Dictionary of Minor Planet Names, Google books
• (68950) 2002 QF15 at NeoDyS-2, Near Earth Objects—Dynamic Site
  • Ephemeris · Obs prediction · Orbital info · MOID · Proper elements · Obs info · Close · Physical info · NEOCC
• (68950) 2002 QF15 at ESA–space situational awareness
  • Ephemerides · Observations · Orbit · Physical Properties · Summary
• (68950) 2002 QF15 at the JPL Small-Body Database
  • Close approach · Discovery · Ephemeris · Orbit diagram · Orbital elements · Physical parameters

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