2010 AA15 is a sub-kilometer asteroid from the inner asteroid belt, that has a similar but different orbit than main-belt comet P/2010 A2.[4] During January 2010, it had been observed for two weeks by the Mount Lemmon Survey, but has since become a lost asteroid. As of 2020[update] the object has not been recovered.[1]
2010 AA15 likely did not interact with main-belt comet P/2010 A2 | |
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | MLS |
| Discovery site | Mount Lemmon Obs. |
| Discovery date | 7 January 2010 (first observation only) |
| Designations | |
MPC designation | 2010 AA15 |
Minor planet category | main-belt[1][2] |
| Orbital characteristics[2] | |
| Epoch 16 February 2017 (JD 2457800.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 6 | |
| Observation arc | (15 days) |
| Aphelion | 2.6329 AU |
| Perihelion | 1.9933 AU |
Semi-major axis | 2.3131 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.1383 |
Orbital period (sidereal) | 3.52 yr (1,285 days) |
Mean anomaly | 6.7537° |
Mean motion | 0° 16m 48.72s / day |
| Inclination | 4.6880° |
Longitude of ascending node | 324.05° |
Argument of perihelion | 142.78° |
| Physical characteristics | |
Mean diameter | 380 m (est. at 0.24)[3] 840 m (est. at 0.05)[3] |
Absolute magnitude (H) | 19.254±0.3468[2] |
Using the best-fit short-arc orbital data, it appears as if the closest that comet P/2010 A2 came to asteroid 2010 AA15 is around 0.0155 AU (2,300,000 kilometres (1,430,000 miles)) on 22 November 2009.[4]
This asteroid was discovered on 7 January 2010.[2] Since it has only been observed over a fifteen-day arc of its 3.5 year orbit, details of the exact orbit still need further refining for easy recovery of this object in the distant future.[2] The asteroid appears to have come to perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) on around 10 January 2010,[2] only a couple days after its discovery.
Based on an absolute magnitude of 19.2,[2] and an assumed albedo of 0.24 and 0.05, 2010 AA15 is likely to measure 380 meters (1,250 feet) and 840 meters (2,760 feet) in diameter for a stony and carbonaceous composition, respectively.[3]
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