1987 QD is a Mars-crossing asteroid, a member of the dynamically unstable group, located between the main belt and near-Earth populations, and crossing the orbit of Mars at 1.666 AU. It orbits the Sun inside the innermost region of the asteroid belt at a distance 1.5–2.9 AU once every 3 years and 3 months (1,199 days; semi-major axis of 2.21 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.31 and an inclination of 27° with respect to the ecliptic.[2]
The body's observation arc begins with a precovery published by the Digitized Sky Survey and taken at Palomar in May 1954, more than 33 years prior to its official discovery observation.[1] It will pass 6,352,000 km (0.04246 AU) from the main-belt asteroid 7 Iris on 3 September 2173.[2]
In September 2010, a first rotational lightcurve of 1987 QD was obtained from photometric observations by Brian Skiff. Lightcurve analysis gave a rotation period of 3.068 hours and a brightness variation of 0.07 magnitude (U=3-).[4][b] Within less than two weeks, follow-up observations by a large international collaboration of astronomers determined a refined period of 3.0586±0.0001 hours with a low amplitude of 0.07 magnitude, indicating that the body has a spherical shape (U=3).[6][a] An alternative observation that gave a tentative period 9.709 hours received a poor quality rating (U=1).[4][13]
Strong binary candidate
The photometric observations during September and October 2010 revealed that 1987 QD is a candidate for a synchronous binary asteroid with a minor-planet moon orbiting it every 50.3±0.5 hours at an estimated average distance of 14 km.[3] The findings were announced on 6 November 2009.[6] The lightcurve indicated mutual occultation events, however, a conclusive solution for the orbit period was not obtained.[c] The Johnston's archive estimates a diameter of 1.23 kilometer for the satellite, or 31% the size of its primary.[3]
According to the survey carried out by the NEOWISE mission of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, 1987 QD measures 2.95 kilometers in diameter and its surface has an albedo of 0.268,[7] while the Collaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for a stony asteroid of 0.20 and derives a diameter of 3.04 kilometers based on an absolute magnitude of 14.99.[4]
^Pravec, Petr; Harris, Alan W.; Kusnirák, Peter; Galád, Adrián; Hornoch, Kamil (September 2012). "Absolute magnitudes of asteroids and a revision of asteroid albedo estimates from WISE thermal observations". Icarus. 221 (1): 365–387. Bibcode:2012Icar..221..365P. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2012.07.026.
^Vander Haagen, Gary A. (April 2011). "Lightcurves of 10452 ZUEV, (14657) 1998 YU27, and (15700) 1987 QD". The Minor Planet Bulletin. 38 (2): 71–72. Bibcode:2011MPBu...38...71V. ISSN1052-8091.