astro.wikisort.org - Asteroid

2020 VT₁ is a small asteroid, classified as a near-Earth object of the Amor group, that is a temporary horseshoe companion to Mars.[4]

2020 VT₁

Discovery [1]
Discovered by	Pan-STARRS1
Discovery site	Haleakalā Obs.
Discovery date	10 November 2020
Designations
MPC designation	2020 VT1
Minor planet category	NEO–Amor[1][2]
Orbital characteristics [2]
Epoch 31 May 2020 (JD 2459000.5)
Uncertainty parameter 6[2] · 5[1]
Observation arc	24 days
Aphelion	1.7774 AU
Perihelion	1.2687 AU
Semi-major axis	1.5231 AU
Eccentricity	0.1670
Orbital period (sidereal)	1.88 yr (687 d)
Mean anomaly	315.41°
Mean motion	0° 31m 27.84s / day
Inclination	18.717°
Longitude of ascending node	50.169°
Argument of perihelion	296.19°
Earth MOID	0.3504 AU (136 LD)
Physical characteristics
Mean diameter	89 m (est. at 0.15)[3]
Absolute magnitude (H)	22.921[2] · 23.0[1]

Discovery

2020 VT₁ was discovered on 10 November 2020, by J. Bulger, K. Chambers, T. Lowe, A. Schultz, and M. Willman observing for the survey conducted by Pan-STARRS at Haleakalā Observatory, Hawaii.[1][5] As of 20 January 2021, it has been observed 28 times with an observation arc of 24 days.[2]

Orbit and orbital evolution

2020 VT₁ is currently an Amor asteroid, a subgroup of the near-Earth objects that approach the orbit of Earth from beyond, but do not cross it. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 1.3–1.8 AU once every 23 months (687 days; semi-major axis of 1.52 AU). Its orbit has a moderate eccentricity of 0.17 and an inclination of 19° with respect to the ecliptic.[2] It is most notable for its horseshoe orbit, a complex co-orbital motion with Mars, as both bodies have similar semi-major axes.[4] The object can also be classified as a Mars-crosser, intersecting the orbit of the Red Planet at 1.66 AU.[2]

Mars trojan

L₄ (leading):

• (121514) 1999 UJ7 †

L₅ (trailing):

References

Further reading

• Understanding the Distribution of Near-Earth Asteroids Bottke, W. F., Jedicke, R., Morbidelli, A., Petit, J.-M., Gladman, B. 2000, Science, Vol. 288, Issue 5474, pp. 2190–2194.
• A Numerical Survey of Transient Co-orbitals of the Terrestrial Planets Christou, A. A. 2000, Icarus, Vol. 144, Issue 1, pp. 1–20.
• Debiased Orbital and Absolute Magnitude Distribution of the Near-Earth Objects Bottke, W. F., Morbidelli, A., Jedicke, R., Petit, J.-M., Levison, H. F., Michel, P., Metcalfe, T. S. 2002, Icarus, Vol. 156, Issue 2, pp. 399–433.
• Transient co-orbital asteroids Brasser, R., Innanen, K. A., Connors, M., Veillet, C., Wiegert, P., Mikkola, S., Chodas, P. W. 2004, Icarus, Vol. 171, Issue 1, pp. 102–109.

External links

• Discovery MPEC
• List Of Amor Minor Planets (by designation), Minor Planet Center
• 2020 VT1 at NeoDyS-2, Near Earth Objects—Dynamic Site
  • Ephemerides · Observation prediction · Orbital info · MOID · Proper elements · Observational info · Close approaches · Physical info · Orbit animation
• 2020 VT1 at ESA–space situational awareness
  • Ephemerides · Observations · Orbit · Physical properties · Summary
• 2020 VT1 at the JPL Small-Body Database
  • Close approach · Discovery · Ephemeris · Orbit diagram · Orbital elements · Physical parameters

---