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2018 CF2
The orbit before and after its 2018-flyby
Discovery [1]
Discovered by MLS
Discovery site Mount Lemmon Obs.
Discovery date7 February 2018
Designations
2018 CF2
NEO · Apollo [1] [2]
Orbital characteristics [2]
Epoch 23 March 2018 ( JD 2458200.5)
Uncertainty parameter 7
Observation arc2 days
Aphelion2.7662 AU
Perihelion0.9089 AU
1.8375 AU
Eccentricity0.5054
2.49 yr (910 days)
29.432 °
0° 23m 44.52s / day
Inclination16.284°
137.68°
320.19°
Earth  MOID0.00077 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.

Orbit and classification

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]

2018 flyby

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]

2018 flyby: Path in sky with daily motion south to north (left). View of path across earth-moon system, moving from south to north (right).

Physical characteristics

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]

Numbering and naming

This minor planet has not yet been numbered. [1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "2018 CF2". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: (2018 CF2)" (2018-02-09 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
  3. ^ a b c Minor Planet Center. "2018 CF2". Twitter. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
  4. ^ a b c "Asteroid Size Estimator". CNEOS NASA/JPL. Retrieved 22 February 2018.

External links