2019 GC6 is a very small near-Earth asteroid and potentially hazardous object of the Apollo group, approximately 20 meters (70 ft) in diameter. It was detected by the Catalina Sky Survey at Catalina Station on 9 April 2019, a few days before it made its first-observed pass through the cislunar region at a distance of 136,000 miles (219,000 km), comparable to roughly half the average distance from the Earth to the Moon (0.58 LD).[4][5]
| Discovery [1][2] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | CSS |
| Discovery site | Catalina Stn. |
| Discovery date | 9 April 2019 |
| Designations | |
MPC designation | 2019 GC6 |
Minor planet category | NEO · Apollo [1][2] |
| Orbital characteristics [2] | |
| Epoch 27 April 2019 (JD 2458600.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 5[2] · 4[1] | |
| Observation arc | 17 days |
| Aphelion | 1.2985 AU |
| Perihelion | 0.9104 AU |
Semi-major axis | 1.1045 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.1757 |
Orbital period (sidereal) | 1.16 yr (424 d) |
Mean anomaly | 317.32° |
Mean motion | 0° 50m 56.76s / day |
| Inclination | 1.2557° |
Longitude of ascending node | 211.61° |
Argument of perihelion | 63.845° |
| Earth MOID | 0.0015 AU (0.5844 LD) |
| Physical characteristics | |
Mean diameter | 15 m (est. at 0.20)[3] 28 m (est. at 0.057)[3] |
Absolute magnitude (H) | 26.5[1] 26.51[2] |
2019 GC6 is a member of the Apollo group of asteroids, which are Earth-crossing asteroids. They are the largest group of near-Earth objects with approximately 10,000 known members. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 0.91–1.29 AU once every 14 months (424 days; semi-major axis of 1.1 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.18 and an inclination of 1° with respect to the ecliptic.[2]
The body's observation arc begins with its first observation by the Mount Lemmon Survey on 31 March 2019, just a few days prior to its potential discovery observation by the Catalina Sky Survey.[1]
The dimensions of the asteroid are estimated to range between 7.5–30 metres (25–98 ft) and has been compared to size of a house.[4][5] Based on an magnitude-to-diameter conversion and a measured absolute magnitude of 26.5, 2019 GC6 measures between 15 and 28 meters in diameter for an assumed geometric albedo of 0.20 (siliceous) and 0.057 (carbonaceous), respectively.[1][3]
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