(154276) 2002 SY50 explained

Minorplanet:yes
Background:
  1. FFC2E0
Discovered:30 September 2002
Mpc Name:(154276)
Epoch:23 March 2018 (JD 2458200.5)
Uncertainty:0
Observation Arc:11.78 yr (4,304 d)
Perihelion:0.5297 AU
Semimajor:1.7045 AU
Eccentricity:0.6892
Period:2.23 yr (813 d)
Mean Motion: / day
Inclination:8.7443°
Asc Node:34.298°
Arg Peri:99.395°
Moid:0.0027 AU (1.0519 LD)
Mean Diameter:
Albedo:
Abs Magnitude:17.00
17.6

, provisional designation, is a stony asteroid on a highly eccentric orbit, classified as near-Earth object and potentially hazardous asteroid of the Apollo group, approximately 1.1km (00.7miles) in diameter. It was discovered on 30 September 2002, by astronomers with the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research at the Lincoln Laboratory's Experimental Test Site near Socorro, New Mexico, in the United States. The K-type asteroid has a rotation period of 4.8 hours. It will make a close encounter with Earth on 30 October 2071.

Orbit and classification

is a member of the Earth-crossing group of Apollo asteroids, the largest group of near-Earth objects with approximately 10 thousand known members.

It orbits the Sun at a distance of 0.53–2.88 AU once every 2 years and 3 months (813 days; semi-major axis of 1.7 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.69 and an inclination of 9° with respect to the ecliptic. Due to its large aphelion of 2.88 AU, it also crosses the orbit of Mars at 1.66 AU. The body's observation arc begins one month prior to its official discovery observation with its first observation by the NEAT program at Palomar Observatory in August 2002.

Close approaches

The asteroid has an Earth minimum orbital intersection distance of 0.0027AU, which corresponds to 1.05 lunar distances and makes it a potentially hazardous asteroid due to its sufficiently large size.

In November 1933, it approached Earth at a nominal distance of 0.098AU, and in November 2002 at 0.084AU. Its closest near-Earth encounter is predicted to occur on 30 October 2071, at a distance of 0.0088AU only (see table).

Physical characteristics

Photometry by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey has characterized as an uncommon K-type asteroid, which is typically seen among members of the Eos family in the asteroid belt.

Rotation period

In October 2002, a rotational lightcurve of this asteroid was obtained from photometric observations by Italian astronomer Gianluca Masi at the Campo Catino Astronomical Observatory . Lightcurve analysis gave a well-defined rotation period of 4.823 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.52 magnitude .

Diameter and albedo

According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, this asteroid measures 1.06 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.14, while the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for stony asteroids of 0.20 and calculates a diameter of 0.897 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 17.6.

Numbering and naming

This minor planet was numbered by the Minor Planet Center on 2 April 2007 . As of 2018, it has not been named.

External links