Discovery [1] | |
---|---|
Discovered by | MLS |
Discovery site | Mount Lemmon Obs. |
Discovery date | 7 February 2018 |
Designations | |
2018 CF2 | |
NEO · Apollo [1] [2] | |
Orbital characteristics [2] | |
Epoch 23 March 2018 ( JD 2458200.5) | |
Uncertainty parameter 7 | |
Observation arc | 2 days |
Aphelion | 2.7662 AU |
Perihelion | 0.9089 AU |
1.8375 AU | |
Eccentricity | 0.5054 |
2.49 yr (910 days) | |
29.432 ° | |
0° 23m 44.52s / day | |
Inclination | 16.284° |
137.68° | |
320.19° | |
Earth MOID | 0.00077 AU (0.30 LD) |
Physical characteristics | |
Mean diameter | 4–15 m
[3] 7 m (est. at 0.20) [4] 14 m (est. at 0.057) [4] |
28.036 [2] | |
2018 CF2 is a micro- asteroid and near-Earth object of the Apollo group on an eccentric orbit with has an estimated 4–15 meters (10–50 ft). It was first observed on 7 February 2018, by astronomers of the Mount Lemmon Survey at Mount Lemmon Observatory, Arizona, United States. [1] The discovery occurred the day after its sub-lunar passage as it approached the Earth from a sunward direction, and this flyby altered the asteroid's orbit slightly.
2018 CF2 belongs to the Apollo asteroids, the largest group of near-Earth objects with nearly 10 thousand known members, which cross the orbit of Earth.
Based on a high uncertainty, it orbits the Sun at a distance of 0.91–2.77 AU once every 2 years and 6 months (910 days; semi-major axis of 1.84 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.51 and an inclination of 16 ° with respect to the ecliptic. [2] With an aphelion of 2.77 AU, it is also a Mars-crosser, as it crosses the orbit of the Red Planet at 1.666 AU. The body's observation arc begins at Mount Lemmon with its first observation on 7 February 2018. [1]
On 6 February 2018, 18:45 UTC, the day before its first observation, it had a flyby with the Earth at a nominal distance of 0.25 lunar distances (LD). [3] Its next close approach to Earth is projected to occur on 23 January 2023, at 0.111 AU (43 LD). [2] After the 2018-passage, the body's minimum orbital intersection distance with Earth increased to 0.30 LD (0.00077 AU). [2]
The Minor Planet Center estimates a diameter of 4–15 meters (10–50 ft). [3] Based on a generic magnitude-to-diameter conversion using an absolute magnitude of 28.036, [2] the body measures between 7 and 14 meters in diameter for an assumed albedo of 0.057 and 0.20, which represent typical values for carbonaceous and stony asteroids, respectively. [4]
As of 2018, no rotational lightcurve of 2018 CF2 has been obtained from photometric observations. The body's rotation period, pole and shape remain unknown. [2]
This minor planet has not yet been numbered. [1]