(436724) 2011 UW158

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(436724) 2011 UW158
Discovery[1]
Discovered byPan-STARRS at Haleakala (F51)
Discovery date25 October 2011
Designations
(436724) 2011 UW158
Apollo NEO,
PHA[1]
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 13 January 2016 (JD 2457400.5)[1]
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc1477 days (4.04 yr)
Aphelion2.2299 AU (333.59 Gm) (Q)
Perihelion1.0105 AU (151.17 Gm) (q)
1.6202 AU (242.38 Gm) (a)
Eccentricity0.37632 (e)
2.06 yr (753.29 d)
85.320° (M)
0° 28m 40.44s / day (n)
Inclination4.5726° (i)
286.02° (Ω)
8.7598° (ω)
Earth MOID0.00383387 AU (573,539 km)
Jupiter MOID2.97647 AU (445.274 Gm)
TJupiter4.242
Physical characteristics
Dimensions~300 × 600 m[2]
0.61073 h (36.644 min)
19.9[1]

(436724) 2011 UW158, provisionally known as 2011 UW158, is an Apollo near-Earth asteroid and potentially hazardous object.[1] It was discovered in 2011 from the Pan-STARRS observatory at Haleakala, Hawaii, U.S.A.

The asteroid was listed as level 1 in the Torino Scale on 4 November 2011, 9 days after its discovery,[3] but was removed two weeks later.[4]

On 19 July 2015, it passed about 2.5 million kilometers from Earth,[1] attracting the interest of astronomers. It has an unusually short rotation period of 37 minutes, suggesting it is a large boulder rather than a rubble pile.[5] It also attracted the media and even by firms such as Planetary Resources[6] for its alleged content of precious metals worth as high as 5 trillion U.S. dollars.[7][8][9] Users at Space Exploration StackExchange have denied these estimations as being orders of magnitude too high.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "JPL Small-Body Database Browser" (Last Updated: 2015-06-04, observation arc 3.74 yr). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
  2. ^ "Solar System Studies at Arecibo Observatory". Arecibo Observatory. Retrieved 2015-07-23.
  3. ^ "2011 UW158 Impact Risk". Near Earth Object Program. NASA. Archived from the original on November 6, 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ "NEOs Removed from Impact Risks Tables". Near Earth Object Program. NASA.
  5. ^ "First detailed images of rare asteroid to pass close by Earth on 19 July". Retrieved 2015-07-23.
  6. ^ "Mining Firm Aiming For Platinum-Loaded Asteroid". Retrieved 2015-07-23.
  7. ^ "UW-158: Watch live as asteroid worth £ 3 TRILLION passes close to Earth". Retrieved 2015-07-23.
  8. ^ "What you can expect to see as a £3 trillion asteroid passes Earth tonight". Retrieved 2015-07-23.
  9. ^ "$5 Trillion Dollar Asteroid Makes Close Approach to Earth". Retrieved 2015-07-23.
  10. ^ "How is it known that asteroid 2011 UW158 has so much platinum?". Retrieved 2015-07-23.

External links