1998 KY 26

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Asteroid
1998 KY 26
3-D model of the asteroid
3-D model of the asteroid, based on radar observations
Properties of the orbit ( animation )
Orbit type Near-Earth asteroid , Apollo-type
Major semi-axis 1.232  AU
eccentricity 0,201
Perihelion - aphelion 0.984 AU - 1.480 AU
Inclination of the orbit plane 1.48 °
Length of the ascending node 84.4 °
Sidereal period 1.37 a
Physical Properties
Medium diameter 30 m
Rotation period 10.7 min
Absolute brightness approx. 26 mag
history
Explorer Tom Gehrels
Date of discovery May 28, 1998
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.

1998 KY 26 is a near-Earth asteroid of the Apollo type , which was discovered on May 28, 1998 by Tom Gehrels as part of the Spacewatch program. At the beginning of June 1998 the asteroid approached the earth to 800,000 kilometers, which is more than twice the earth-moon distance.

properties

A rotation period of 10.7 minutes could be determined using radar observations. This makes 1998 KY 26 the asteroid with the shortest measured rotation period. This suggests that the asteroid is a compact body and not a rubble pile , as a rubble pile would break apart at such speeds. The diameter of the small asteroid is about 30 meters. It may be a fragment of a larger asteroid. It probably contains large amounts of frozen water, possibly up to 4,000,000 liters.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b A very fast rotating asteroid. Kuffner Observatory Association, 1999, accessed on July 3, 2012 : “The researchers are of the opinion that in 1998 KY 26 must be a fairly compact body, otherwise it would break apart at this rotational speed. The asteroid probably contains large amounts of frozen water, maybe a million gallons. "
  2. ↑ a b c d Spacewatch discovery of 1998 KY 26 . (No longer available online.) In: Spacewatch Project. Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, April 7, 2004, archived from the original July 1, 2010 ; accessed on July 3, 2012 .
  3. ^ Astronomy Picture of the Day. In: APOD . NASA and MTU , September 19, 2002, accessed July 3, 2012 .