(179806) 2002 TD66

(179806) 2002 TD₆₆

Discovery
Discovered by	LINEAR
Discovery site	Lincoln Lab ETS
Discovery date	5 October 2002
Designations
Minor planet category	NEO · Apollo
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 13 January 2016 (JD 2457400.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc	2017 days (5.52 yr)
Aphelion	2.8505 AU (426.43 Gm)
Perihelion	0.86543 AU (129.466 Gm)
Semi-major axis	1.8580 AU (277.95 Gm)
Eccentricity	0.53421
Orbital period (sidereal)	2.53 yr (925.03 d)
Mean anomaly	55.037°
Mean motion	0° 23^m 21.048^s / day
Inclination	4.9211°
Longitude of ascending node	335.73°
Argument of perihelion	125.66°
Earth MOID	0.00603808 AU (903,284 km)
Jupiter MOID	2.35661 AU (352.544 Gm)
Physical characteristics
Dimensions	300 meters[2] 270–590 meters ^H
Synodic rotation period	9.455 h (0.3940 d)[2][1]
Absolute magnitude (H)	20.2[1]

(179806) 2002 TD₆₆ (also written 2002 TD66) is a sub-kilometer asteroid, classified as near-Earth object of the Apollo group. It was discovered on 5 October 2002, by the LINEAR project at Lincoln Laboratory's ETS in Socorro, New Mexico.^[1] It was announced on 7 October 2002 and appeared later that day on the JPL current risk page.

Description

Due to the proximity of its orbit to Earth and its estimated size, this object has been classified as a potentially hazardous asteroid (PHA) by the Minor Planet Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In November 2006 there were 823 PHAs known. As of October 2011^[update], there are 1261 PHAs known.^[3] 2002 TD₆₆ was removed from the Sentry Risk Table on October 10, 2002.^[4] A Doppler observation^[1] has helped produce a well known trajectory with a condition code (Uncertainty Parameter U) of 0.^[1]

Based on an absolute magnitude (H) of 20.2,^[1] the asteroid is estimated to be between 270 and 590 meters in diameter. Radar astronomy shows it is a contact binary asteroid with a diameter of 300 meters and a rotation period of 9.5 hours.^[2]

On February 26, 2008, 2002 TD₆₆ passed 0.04282 AU (6,406,000 km; 3,980,000 mi) from Earth.^[5] The asteroid also comes close to Venus, Mars, and dwarf planet Ceres.^[5]

References

1. "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 179806 (2002 TD66)" (2008-04-13 last obs). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
2. Dr. Lance A. M. Benner (18 November 2013). "Binary and Ternary near-Earth Asteroids detected by radar". NASA/JPL Asteroid Radar Research. Archived from the original on 8 June 2004. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
3. "Potentially Hazard Asteroids". Archived from the original on 2 February 2002. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
4. "Date/Time Removed". NASA/JPL Near-Earth Object Program Office. Archived from the original on 2 June 2002. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
5. "JPL Close-Approach Data: 179806 (2002 TD66)" (2008-04-13 last obs). Retrieved 1 November 2006.

External links

• Orbital path diagram of 2002 TD₆₆ (0.04 AU from Earth on 25 February 2008)
• Lightcurve plot of (179806) 2002 TD66, Palmer Divide Observatory, B. D. Warner (2008)
• Asteroid Lightcurve Database (LCDB), query form (info Archived 16 December 2017 at the Wayback Machine)
• Sormano Astronomical Observatory: Minor Body Priority List
• Minimum Orbital Intersection Distance
• Closest Approaches to the Earth by Minor Planets
• (179806) 2002 TD66 at NeoDyS-2, Near Earth Objects—Dynamic Site
  • Ephemerides · Observation prediction · Orbital info · MOID · Proper elements · Observational info · Close approaches · Physical info · Orbit animation
• (179806) 2002 TD66 at ESA–space situational awareness
  • Ephemerides · Observations · Orbit · Physical properties · Summary
• (179806) 2002 TD66 at the JPL Small-Body Database
  • Close approach · Discovery · Ephemeris · Orbit viewer · Orbit parameters · Physical parameters