1998 KY26
Three views of a computer model of asteroid 1998 KY26.
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Discovery[1]
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| Discovered by | Spacewatch, Tom Gehrels |
| Discovery site | Arizona |
| Discovery date | 1998-05-28 |
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Designations
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| Minor planet category |
Apollo  |
| Epoch 2455000.5 (2009-Jun-18.0) |
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| Aphelion | 1.4804157 ± 7.2381e-07 AU |
| Perihelion | .98381275 ± 1.6462e-07 AU |
| Semi-major axis | 1.23211426 ± 6.0241e-07 AU |
| Eccentricity | .2015247 ± 4.9736e-07 |
| Orbital period | 499.5453 ± 0.00036636 d 1.37 ± 1.003e-06 yr |
| Mean anomaly | 358.483 ± 0.002236° |
| Inclination | 1.481086 ± 9.0515e-06° |
| Longitude of ascending node | 84.44936 ± 5.0927e-05° |
| Argument of perihelion | 209.22902 ± 9.7658e-05° |
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Physical characteristics
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| Dimensions | 30 metres (98 ft) |
| Sidereal rotation period |
10.704 min |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 25.456 |
The asteroid 1998 KY26 (also written 1998 KY26) was discovered on June 2, 1998, by Spacewatch and observed until June 8, when it passed 800,000 kilometers (half a million miles) away from Earth (a little more than twice the Earth-Moon distance). It is roughly spherical and is only about 30 metres (98 ft) in diameter. Although it is nearly small enough be classified a meteoroid, the most common definition uses a diameter of 10 m as the demarcation, just making 1998 KY26 an asteroid.
With a rotation period of 10.7 minutes it has one of the shortest sidereal days of any known object in the solar system, and cannot possibly be a rubble pile. It is also one of the most easily accessed objects in the solar system,[3] and its orbit frequently brings it on a path very similar to the optimum Earth-Mars transfer orbit.[2] This, coupled with the fact that it is water rich, makes it an attractive target for further study and a potential source of water for future missions to Mars.[4]
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[edit] Discovery
The discovery is attributed to an international team of astronomers led by Dr. Steven J. Ostro of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The team used a radar telescope in California and optical telescopes in the Czech Republic, Hawaii, Arizona and California.
[edit] Physical properties
Asteroid 1998 KY26 is the smallest solar system object ever studied in detail and, with a rotational period of 10.7 minutes, was the fastest-spinning object observed at the time of its discovery: most asteroids with established rotational rates have periods measured in hours. It was the first recognized minor object that spins so fast that it must be a monolithic object rather than a rubble pile, as many asteroids are thought to be. Since 1998 KY26 was found to be a fast rotator, several other small asteroids have been found to also have short rotation periods, some even faster than 1998 KY26.
Optical and radar observations indicate that 1998 KY26 is a water-rich object.[4]
[edit] Further reading
- Ostro, Steven J.; et al. (July 1999). "Radar and Optical Observations of Asteroid 1998 KY26". Science 285 (5427): 557–559. Bibcode 1999Sci...285..557O. doi:10.1126/science.285.5427.557. PMID 10417379.
- Tholen, D. J. (September 2003). "Recovery of 1998 KY26: Implications for Detecting the Yarkovsky Effect (abstract only)". Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society 35 (4). http://aas.org/archives/BAAS/v35n4/dps2003/452.htm.
[edit] References
- ^ "Spacewatch discovery of 1998 KY26". SPACEWATCH Project. http://spacewatch.lpl.arizona.edu/1998ky26.html.
- ^ a b NASA JPL Small-Body Database Browser on 1998 KY26. Retrieved 2009-05-27.
- ^ "1998 KY26". http://analyzer.depaul.edu/see_project/orbits/ky26.htm.
- ^ a b "Astronomy Picture of the Day: Asteroid 1998 KY26". Nasa. 2002-09-19. http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap020919.html.
[edit] External links
- NASA JPL Small-Body Database Browser on 1998 KY26
- MPEC 1998-L02
- Scott Hudson's Homepage: The Earth-Crossing Asteroid 1998 KY26
- Steven Ostro's Homepage: 1998 KY26
- Lipanović, Željko. "1998 KY26 Images". Archived from the original on 2009-10-22. http://www.webcitation.org/query?id=1256259088021502.
- Media Relations Office. Sun never sets, for long, on fast-spinning, water-rich asteroid (press release). Pasadena, California: Jet Propulsion Laboratory. July 22, 1999.
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