2011_EO40

<span class="nowrap">2011 EO<sub>40</sub></span>

2011 EO40

Asteroid

2011 EO40 is an asteroid, classified as a near-Earth object and a potentially hazardous asteroid of the Apollo group. It is a possible candidate for the parent body of the Chelyabinsk superbolide.[7][8][9]

Quick Facts Discovery, Discovered by ...

Discovery, orbit and physical properties

2011 EO40 was discovered by Richard A. Kowalski on 10 March 2011 while observing for the Mount Lemmon Survey.[1][10]

Its orbit is typical of Apollo asteroids and is characterized by significant eccentricity (0.54), low inclination (3.36º), and a semi-major axis of 1.65 AU.[10] Upon discovery, it was classified as an Earth crosser, a near-Earth asteroid (NEA) and a potentially hazardous asteroid (PHA) by the Minor Planet Center. It was listed on the Sentry Risk Table for less than one day.[11] Its orbit is in need of additional observations to determine if it is part of an asteroid family; as of October 2015 the orbit is determined using just twenty observations spanning an observation arc of 34 days.[3] 2011 EO40 has an absolute magnitude of 21.5,[3] which gives a characteristic diameter of about 200 metres (660 ft).[6]

Relationship to the Chelyabinsk superbolide

Recent calculations indicate that this object is a plausible candidate to be the parent body of the Chelyabinsk superbolide, since its orbit is very similar to the computed, pre-impact path of the Chelyabinsk meteoroid.[7][8][9] It has relatively frequent close encounters with Venus, the Earth–Moon system, and Mars. It had a close encounter with Earth on 28 January 2011 at 0.0953 AU (14,260,000 km; 8,860,000 mi),[3] and it will have a nominal Earth approach on 23 September 2025 at about 0.06 AU (9,000,000 km; 5,600,000 mi).[3] Asteroid 2011 EO40 experiences close approaches to the Earth–Moon system following a rather regular pattern, every 17 years approximately due to the combined action of multiple secular resonances.[8]

Visibility

Future opposition windows are: 7 June 2016 at magnitude 24.5, and 28 May 2018 at magnitude 24.6. The best observation window will be on 2–23 September 2025.[3] Depending on the Earth approach distance (0.04–0.12 AU),[3] it should be brighter than magnitude 19.[12]

See also

Notes

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

References

  1. [1]
    Discovery MPEC
  2. [2]
    List Of Apollo Minor Planets
  3. [3]
    "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: (2011 EO40)". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  4. [4]
    "List Of The Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs)". Minorplanetcenter.net. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  5. [5]
    NEODyS-2 on 2011 EO40 Retrieved 2013-07-31
  6. [6]
    Absolute-magnitude conversion table (H)
  7. [7]
    de la Fuente Marcos, Carlos; de la Fuente Marcos, Raúl (21 November 2013). "The Chelyabinsk superbolide: a fragment of asteroid 2011 EO40?". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters. 436 (1): L15–L19. arXiv:1307.7918. Bibcode:2013MNRAS.436L..15D. doi:10.1093/mnrasl/slt103.
  8. [8]
    de la Fuente Marcos, Carlos; de la Fuente Marcos, Raúl (1 September 2014). "Reconstructing the Chelyabinsk event: pre-impact orbital evolution". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters. 443 (1): L39–L43. arXiv:1405.7202. Bibcode:2014MNRAS.443L..39D. doi:10.1093/mnrasl/slu078.
  9. [9]
    de la Fuente Marcos, Carlos; de la Fuente Marcos, Raúl; Aarseth, S. J. (10 October 2015). "Chasing the Chelyabinsk asteroid N-body style". The Astrophysical Journal. 812 (1): 26 (22 pp). arXiv:1508.05907. Bibcode:2015ApJ...812...26D. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/812/1/26.
  10. [10]
    MPC data on 2011 EO40
  11. [11]
    "Observations of small Solar-System bodies". hohmanntransfer. 11 March 2011. Archived from the original on 23 November 2020. Retrieved 6 August 2013. (2.7e-07 = 1 in 3,704,000 chance)
  12. [12]
    "2011EO40 Ephemerides for 23 August 2025 through 30 September 2025". NEODyS (Near Earth Objects – Dynamic Site). Retrieved 4 July 2014.
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