3554 Amun
 Orbit diagram of asteroid Amun with location as of September 9, 2012 | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | C. Shoemaker E. M. Shoemaker |
| Discovery date | 4 March 1986 |
| Designations | |
| (3554) Amun | |
Named after | Amun |
| 1986 EB | |
| Aten [1] Venus-crosser asteroid | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 13 January 2016 (JD 2457400.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 10923 days (29.91 yr) |
| Aphelion | 1.24677 AU (186.514 Gm) |
| Perihelion | 0.700578 AU (104.8050 Gm) |
| 0.973675 AU (145.6597 Gm) | |
| Eccentricity | 0.28048 |
| 0.96 yr (350.9 d) | |
| 184.781° | |
| 1.02585°/day | |
| Inclination | 23.3626° |
| 358.627° | |
| 359.392° | |
| Earth MOID | 0.250204 AU (37.4300 Gm) |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 2.48 km[1] |
| Mass | ~1.6×1013 kg |
| 2.53001 h (0.105417 d)[1] | |
| 0.1284 ± 0.024[1] | |
| M-type asteroid | |
| 15.82[1] | |
3554 Amun is an M-type Aten asteroid (meaning it crosses Earth's orbit) and a Venus-crosser. It was discovered on 4 March 1986 by Carolyn and Eugene Shoemaker at Mount Palomar Observatory. Its estimated diameter is 2.48 kilometers, making it one of the smallest known M-type asteroids. Amun was the fifth Aten asteroid to be numbered.
Amun was once considered metallic, based on its M-type spectrum. In Mining the Sky, planetary scientist John S. Lewis calculated the value of 3554 Amun at $20 trillion.[2]
(6178) 1986 DA is another M-type near-Earth asteroid with lower inclination that is actually metallic.
Amun passes closest to Venus, and in 1964, 2034, and 2103 comes within 10 Gm of it.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 3554 Amun (1986 EB)" (2014-02-19 last obs (arc=27.9 yr)). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
- ^ "NSS Review: Mining the Sky". www.nss.org. Retrieved 2018-02-26.
External links
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