1998 KY26
Three views of a computer model of asteroid 1998 KY26.
|
|
| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Spacewatch, Tom Gehrels |
| Discovery site | Arizona |
| Discovery date | 1998-05-28 |
| Designations | |
Apollo  |
|
| Orbital characteristics[2] | |
| Epoch 2455000.5 (2009-Jun-18.0) |
|
| Aphelion | 1.4804157 ± 7.2381e-07 AU |
| Perihelion | 0.98381275 ± 1.6462e-07 AU |
| 1.23211426 ± 6.0241e-07 AU |
|
| Eccentricity | 0.2015247 ± 4.9736e-07 |
| 1.37 ± 1.003e-06 yr (499.5453 ± 0.00036636 d) |
|
| 358.483 ± 0.002236° |
|
| Inclination | 1.481086 ± 9.0515e-06° |
| 84.44936 ± 5.0927e-05° |
|
| 209.22902 ± 9.7658e-05° |
|
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 30 metres (98 ft) |
|
Sidereal rotation period
|
10.704 min |
| 25.456 | |
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1998 KY26 (also written 1998 KY26) is a small near-Earth asteroid. It was discovered on June 2, 1998, by Spacewatch and observed until June 8, when it passed 800,000 kilometers (half a million miles) away from Earth (a little more than twice the Earth–Moon distance). It is roughly spherical and is only about 30 metres (98 ft) in diameter.
With a rotation period of 10.7 minutes it has one of the shortest sidereal days of any known object in the Solar System, and cannot possibly be a rubble pile. It is also one of the most easily accessible objects in the Solar System,[3] and its orbit frequently brings it on a path very similar to the optimum Earth–Mars transfer orbit.[2] This, coupled with the fact that it is water rich, makes it an attractive target for further study and a potential source of water for future missions to Mars.[4]
Physical properties
Asteroid 1998 KY26 is the smallest solar system object ever studied in detail and, with a rotational period of 10.7 minutes, was the fastest-spinning object observed at the time of its discovery: most asteroids with established rotational rates have periods measured in hours. It was the first recognized minor object that spins so fast that it must be a monolithic object rather than a rubble pile, as many asteroids are thought to be. Since 1998 KY26 was found to be a fast rotator, several other small asteroids have been found to also have short rotation periods, some even faster than 1998 KY26.
Optical and radar observations indicate that 1998 KY26 is a water-rich object.[4]
These physical properties were measured by an international team of astronomers led by Dr. Steven J. Ostro of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The team used a radar telescope in California and optical telescopes in the Czech Republic, Hawaii, Arizona and California.
Further reading
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References
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- 1998 KY26 at the JPL Small-Body Database
- MPEC 1998-L02
- Scott Hudson's Homepage: The Earth-Crossing Asteroid 1998 KY26
- Steven Ostro's Homepage: 1998 KY26
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- Media Relations Office. Sun never sets, for long, on fast-spinning, water-rich asteroid (press release). Pasadena, California: Jet Propulsion Laboratory. July 22, 1999.
