2020 PN1
Sub-kilometer asteroid classified as a near-Earth object of the Aten group From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
2020 PN1 is a sub-kilometer asteroid, classified as a near-Earth object of the Aten group, that is a temporary horseshoe companion to the Earth. There are dozens of known Earth horseshoe librators, some of which switch periodically between the quasi-satellite and the horseshoe co-orbital states.[6]
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | ATLAS-HKO |
| Discovery site | Haleakalā Observatory |
| Discovery date | 12 August 2020 |
| Designations | |
Designation | 2020 PN1 |
| Orbital characteristics[2][3][4] | |
| Epoch 31 May 2020 (JD 2459000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 361 days |
| Aphelion | 1.12482093 AU |
| Perihelion | 0.8713906 AU |
| 0.998105754 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1269557 |
| 1.00 y (364.219560 d) | |
| 32.06964° | |
| Inclination | 4.80807° |
| 145.63610° | |
| 55.40365° | |
| Earth MOID | 0.0248258 AU |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 10–50 m[a][5] |
| 25.5[2] | |
Discovery
2020 PN1 was discovered on 12 August 2020 by L. Denneau, J. Tonry, A. Heinze, and H. Weiland observing for the ATLAS-HKO Survey.[7] As of 20 January 2021, it has been observed 41 times with an observation arc of 361 days.[2]
Orbit and orbital evolution
2020 PN1 is currently an Aten asteroid (Earth-crossing but with a period less than a year). Its semi-major axis (currently 0.998105754 AU) is similar to that of Earth (0.999789 AU), but it has a moderate eccentricity (0.1269557) and low orbital inclination (4.80807°). It alternates between being an Aten asteroid and being an Apollo asteroid, although its orbital evolution is not fully stable and it can be considered as a temporary co-orbital companion to the Earth.[6]
Physical properties
With an absolute magnitude of 25.5 mag, it has a diameter in the range 10–50 meters (for an assumed albedo range of 0.04–0.20, respectively).
Exploration
2020 PN1 was pre-selected for an exploration by a Chinese mission of planetary defense including an impactor and a separate orbiter planned to launch in 2026.[8] However, in April 2023, the new target is 2019 VL5.[9]
See also
Notes
- ^ This is assuming an albedo of 0.20–0.04.
References
External links
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