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2015 YQ1

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2015 YQ1
Discovery
Discovered byMount Lemmon Srvy.
Discovery siteMount Lemmon Obs.
Discovery date19 December 2015
Designations
Designation
2015 YQ1
Orbital characteristics[2][3][4]
Epoch 13 January 2016 (JD 2457400.5)
Uncertainty parameter 6
Observation arc3 days
Aphelion1.40586 AU
Perihelion0.59681 AU
1.00134 AU
Eccentricity0.40398
1.00202 y (365.99 d)
317.067°
Inclination2.4865°
88.89770°
112.185°
Earth MOID0.00052 AU
Physical characteristics
Dimensions7–16 m[a][5]
28.1[2]

2015 YQ1 (also written 2015 YQ1) is an Apollo asteroid that is a temporary horseshoe companion to the Earth, the twelfth known Earth horseshoe librator.[6] It experienced a close encounter with the Earth on 2015 December 22 at 0.0037 AU.

Discovery

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2015 YQ1 was discovered on 2015 December 19 by A. D. Grauer observing with the 1.5-m reflector telescope at the Mount Lemmon Survey.[7] As of 9 March 2016, it has been observed 64 times with an observation arc of 3 days.[2]

Orbit and orbital evolution

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Animation of 2015 YQ1's orbit relative to Sun and Earth
  2015 YQ1 ·   Sun ·   Earth

2015 YQ1 is currently an Apollo asteroid (Earth-crossing but with a period greater than a year). Its semi-major axis (currently 1.00134 AU) is similar to that of Earth (1.00074 AU), but it has a relatively high eccentricity (0.40398) and low orbital inclination (2.4865°). It alternates between being an Aten asteroid and being an Apollo asteroid. As of 9 March 2016, this object is the 17th known Earth co-orbital and the 12th known object following a horseshoe path with respect to our planet. Asteroid 2015 YQ1 follows an asymmetrical horseshoe path with respect to our planet; the value of its relative mean longitude oscillates about 180°, but enclosing 0°; its orbital evolution is rather unstable.[6]

Physical properties

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With an absolute magnitude of 28.1 mag, it has a diameter in the range 7–16 meters (for an assumed albedo range of 0.04–0.20, respectively).

See also

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Notes

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  • ^ This is assuming an albedo of 0.20–0.04.

References

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  1. ^ List Of Apollo Minor Planets
  2. ^ a b c d 2015 YQ1 at the JPL Small-Body Database Retrieved 2016-03-09
  3. ^ AstDys-2 on 2015 YQ1 Retrieved 2016-03-09
  4. ^ NEODyS-2 on 2015 YQ1 Retrieved 2016-03-09
  5. ^ Absolute-magnitude conversion table (H)
  6. ^ a b de la Fuente Marcos, Carlos; de la Fuente Marcos, Raúl (1 April 2016). "A trio of horseshoes: past, present and future dynamical evolution of Earth co-orbital asteroids 2015 XX169, 2015 YA and 2015 YQ1". Astrophysics and Space Science. 361 (4): 121 (13 pages). arXiv:1603.02415. Bibcode:2016Ap&SS.361..121D. doi:10.1007/s10509-016-2711-6. S2CID 189843906.
  7. ^ Discovery MPEC
Further reading
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