Minorplanet: | yes |
Background: |
|
Tantalus | |
Discoverer: | C. Kowal |
Discovery Site: | Palomar Observatory |
Discovered: | 27 December 1975 |
Mpc Name: | (2102) Tantalus |
Alt Names: | 1975 YA |
Named After: | Tantalus |
Mp Category: | PHA |
Epoch: | 13 January 2016 (JD 2457400.5) |
Aphelion: | 1.675969247626abbr=onNaNabbr=on |
Perihelion: | 0.904134319180004AU |
Semimajor: | 1.290051783403AU |
Eccentricity: | .299148816495564 |
Period: | 1.47 yr (535.19 d) |
Inclination: | 64.00535930263230° |
Asc Node: | 94.36993941983230° |
Mean Anomaly: | 85.78643003020903° |
Arg Peri: | 61.55509931046220° |
Dimensions: | 2-4 km |
Spectral Type: | Q |
Abs Magnitude: | 16.0 |
Observation Arc: | 38.63 yr (14111 days) |
Uncertainty: | 0 |
Mean Motion: | / day |
Rotation: | 2.384abbr=onNaNabbr=on |
Moid: | 0.0430913AU |
2102 Tantalus (1975 YA) is an Apollo asteroid discovered on December 27, 1975, by C. Kowal at Palomar Observatory. It is a Q-type asteroid.
2102 Tantalus is a potentially hazardous asteroid (PHA) because its minimum orbit intersection distance (MOID) is less than 0.05 AU and its diameter is greater than 150 meters. The Earth-MOID is 0.0439abbr=onNaNabbr=on. Its orbit is well-determined for the next several hundred years.
It will pass 0.04439abbr=onNaNabbr=on from Earth on 2038-Dec-27, which is just slightly closer than the 1975-Dec-26 approach of 0.046 AU. The asteroid is about 2–4 km in diameter.
The shape of 2102 Tantalus is estimated to be roughly spherical in outline and fairly symmetrical; the surface is thought to be covered in a fine-grained regolith.