(85990) 1999 JV₆, provisional designation 1999 JV₆, is a sub-kilometer near-Earth asteroid and a potentially hazardous object of the Apollo group. It was discovered by astronomers of the LINEAR program at the Lincoln Laboratory's Experimental Test Site near Socorro, New Mexico. 1999 JV₆ is a contact binary object consisting of two distinct lobes, as seen in radar images from various observatories including Arecibo and Goldstone in January 2015.

(85990) 1999 JV₆

Radar images of 1999 JV6 taken by the Goldstone Radar on 12 January 2015
Discovery[1][2]
Discovered by	LINEAR
Discovery site	Lincoln Lab's ETS
Discovery date	13 May 1999
Designations
MPC designation	1999 JV6
Minor planet category	Apollo · NEO · PHA
Orbital characteristics[1][2]
Epoch 31 May 2020 (JD 2459000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc	20.76 yr (7,582 days)
Aphelion	1.3219 AU
Perihelion	0.6946 AU
Semi-major axis	1.0082 AU
Eccentricity	0.31110
Orbital period (sidereal)	1.01 yr
Mean anomaly	194.713°
Mean motion	0° 58m 24.915s / day
Inclination	5.359°
Longitude of ascending node	124.318°
Argument of perihelion	235.531°
Earth MOID	0.03152 AU
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter	0.451±0.026 km[1]
Synodic rotation period	6.538 h[1]
Geometric albedo	0.095±0.023[1]
Spectral type	Xk (SMASS)[1]
Absolute magnitude (H)	20.2[1][2]

Close approaches

In January 2015, 1999 JV₆ approached Earth within a distance of 32.4 lunar distances (0.0833 AU).[1] During the encounter, 1999 JV₆ was observed by radar from the Arecibo, Green Bank, and Goldstone observatories.[3] In January 2016, 1999 JV₆ has made another close approach at a distance of 12 lunar distances (0.032 AU), several times closer than the encounter in 2015.[1][3]

The Minor Planet Center has classified 1999 JV₆ as a potentially hazardous asteroid due to its large size and small Earth minimum orbit intersection distance (MOID) of 0.03 AU.[4][1]

Physical characteristics

1999 JV₆ was discovered in May 1999 by the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) program at the Lincoln Laboratory's Experimental Test Site near Socorro, New Mexico. Most properties of 1999 JV₆ have been determined through photometry, spectroscopy, infrared radiometry, and radar imaging.[3]

Binzel et al. (2001) have found that 1999 JV₆ has a spectral class of an Xk-type asteroid. Thermal infrared observations using the WISE spacecraft by Mainzer et al. (2011) and the Spitzer Space Telescope by Mueller et al. (2011) give a diameter of 0.45 km (0.28 mi). Warner et al. (2014, 2015) suggest that 1999 JV₆ has a highly elongated shape due to its large light curve amplitude of 0.9 magnitudes. Based on 1999 JV₆'s large brightness changes, they measured a rotation period of 6.54 hours. In January 2015, radar imaging by the Arecibo Observatory and the Green Bank Observatory confirmed 1999 JV₆'s elongated shape and provided delay-Doppler images used to obtain a preliminary estimate of a 3D model for its shape. The radar data reveal an apparent concavity and suggest that 1999 JV₆ is a contact binary.[4]

References

External links

• Goldstone Radar Observations Planning: 1999 JV6, 2001 WL15, and Toro, JPL Asteroid Radar Research
• 3D model of the asteroid
• (85990) 1999 JV6 at NeoDyS-2, Near Earth Objects—Dynamic Site
  • Ephemeris · Obs prediction · Orbital info · MOID · Proper elements · Obs info · Close · Physical info · NEOCC
• (85990) 1999 JV6 at ESA–space situational awareness
  • Ephemerides · Observations · Orbit · Physical Properties · Summary
• (85990) 1999 JV6 at the JPL Small-Body Database
  • Close approach · Discovery · Ephemeris · Orbit diagram · Orbital elements · Physical parameters