2011 MD
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | LINEAR |
| Discovery date | June 22, 2011 |
| Designations | |
| Apollo | |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Aphelion | 1.0960 AU |
| Perihelion | 1.0160 AU |
| 1.0560 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.037879 |
| 396 d 9 h | |
| 53.223° | |
| Inclination | 2.449° |
| 272.368° | |
| 4.963° | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 10-45 meters |
2011 MD is a near-Earth object, presumed to be an Apollo asteroid, which is bound to pass relatively close to Earth's surface at a distance of about 12,000 kilometers (7,500 mi), roughly 32 times closer than the Moon, at around 17:00 UTC (13:00 EDT) on June 27, 2011.[1][2][3][4]
Since the object will appear close to the sun in the sky during the event, observing it will be possible only for a brief period a few hours prior to the closest approach. Backyard astronomers will be able to observe it with telescopes from Australia, southern Africa, and the Americas.[3]
It was discovered on June 22, 2011 by the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research (LINEAR) pair of robotic telescopes in New Mexico and, according to rough estimates, its length is between 10 and 45 meters (30 and 150 ft).[5]
Emily Baldwin, of Astronomy Now magazine, is quoted as saying there is no threat of collision and, should the asteroid entered Earth's atmosphere, it would "mostly burn up in a brilliant fireball, possibly scattering a few meteorites", causing no likely harm to life or property on the ground.[5]
Trajectory plots
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References
- ^ Don Yeomans & Paul Chodas (June 23, 2011). "Bend it Like Beckham! Small Asteroid to Whip Past Earth on June 27, 2011". NASA/JPL Near-Earth Object Program Office. Retrieved June 26, 2011.
- ^ NASA JPL. "JPL Small-Body Database Browser (2011 MD)". Retrieved June 26, 2011.
- ^ a b Tony Flanders (June 23, 2011). "Asteroid To Buzz Earth Monday, June 27th". Sky & Telescope observing blog. Retrieved June 26, 2011.
- ^ Tony Flanders (June 24, 2011). "Is Asteroid 2011 MD Space Junk?". Sky & Telescope observing blog. Retrieved June 26, 2011.
- ^ a b Paul Sutherland (June 23, 2011). "Incoming! Another asteroid to skim by". Skymania: Astronomy and space guide. Retrieved June 26, 2011.