(4179) Toutatis
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Asteroid (4179) Toutatis |
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| Toutatis 3D model based on radar observations | |
| Properties of the orbit ( animation ) | |
| Orbit type | Apollo type |
| Major semi-axis | 2.5225 AU |
| eccentricity | 0.6348 |
| Perihelion - aphelion | 0.9212 AU - 4.1238 AU |
| Inclination of the orbit plane | 0.446 ° |
| Sidereal period | 4.006 a |
| Mean orbital velocity | 16.69 km / s |
| Physical Properties | |
| Medium diameter | 4.5 × 2.4 × 1.9 km |
| Dimensions | 5 · 10 13 kg |
| Albedo | 0.13 |
| Medium density | 2.1 g / cm³ |
| Rotation period | 5.41 and 7.35 days |
| Absolute brightness | 15.3 mag |
| Spectral class | Sk |
| history | |
| Explorer | Christian Pollas |
| Date of discovery | 4th January 1989 |
| Another name | 1934 CT, 1989 AC |
| Source: Unless otherwise stated, the data comes from JPL Small-Body Database Browser . The affiliation to an asteroid family is automatically determined from the AstDyS-2 database . Please also note the note on asteroid items. | |
(4179) Toutatis is a near-Earth asteroid (planetoid), from the group of the Apollo asteroids ; these are heavenly bodies whose orbits can cross the earth's orbit . However, it is also one of the Alinda asteroids, which means that it is in 3: 1 orbit resonance with Jupiter and in 1: 4 resonance with earth, i.e. That is, it orbits the sun three times during one orbit of Jupiter and once within four earth years. Because of its eccentric orbit, this means that approximations between Toutatis and the Earth occur regularly about every four years.
Toutatis was discovered by Christian Pollas on January 4th, 1989 . It is named after the Celtic god Teutates .
Toutatis moves between 0.9212 AU ( perihelion ) and 4.1238 AU ( aphelion ) in about 1463 days on an eccentric orbit around the sun . The orbit eccentricity is 0.6348, the orbit is inclined by 0.446 ° to the ecliptic . Its orbit is strongly influenced by the earth's gravitational field .
exploration
Radar observations from the Arecibo and Goldstone observatories have shown that Toutatis is an irregularly shaped body 4.5 × 2.4 × 1.9 km in size. It rotates around its longitudinal axes in two different periods of 5.41 and 7.35 days. The albedo is 0.13.
On September 29, 2004, Toutatis flew past the earth at only four times the moon distance (1,549,719 km). The asteroid could be seen with binoculars in the southern sky when visibility was very good. The penultimate approach (distance 7,524,773 km) took place on November 9, 2008, the last (distance about 6,940,000 km) on December 12, 2012.
On December 13, 2012 at 08:30 UTC, the Chinese space probe Chang'e-2 flew past Toutatis at a distance of 3.2 km and a relative speed of 10.73 km / s. A series of pictures was taken from a distance of 93 to 240 km.
After several crossings of the earth's orbit at a greater distance from the earth, Toutatis will pass the earth at a distance of only three million kilometers in November 2069.
General
In a commissioned work by the Berliner Philharmoniker with Sir Simon Rattle , the Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho set the asteroid to music under the work title Asteroid 4179: Toutatis .
See also
Web links
- NASA website: Toutatis
- Surface Features of Asteroid Toutatis Revealed by Radar JPLnews @ youtube, accessed January 16, 2013
Individual evidence
- ↑ 2012 Goldstone Radar Observations of (4179) Toutatis echo.jpl.nasa.gov, accessed December 11, 2012
- ↑ Discovery News: Chinese probe buzzes asteroid Toutatis
- ↑ Near Earth asteroids: Toutatis staggered past the earth. Retrieved June 27, 2017 .