Discovery date March 10, 2011 Aphelion 2.5479 AU (381.16 Gm) Discovered 10 March 2011 Argument of perihelion 17.071° Discovery site Mount Lemmon Observatory | MPC designation 2011 EO40 Semi-major axis 1.6542 AU (247.46 Gm) Inclination 3.363° Discoverer Richard Kowalski | |
Similar (86039) 1999 NC43, 2008 TC3, 2014 AA, 367943 Duende, 2010 KQ | ||
full moment meteorite from 2011 eo40 hits russia in february
2011 EO40, also written 2011 EO40, is an Apollo asteroid and a possible candidate for the parent body of the Chelyabinsk superbolide.
Contents
- full moment meteorite from 2011 eo40 hits russia in february
- Discovery orbit and physical properties
- Relationship to the Chelyabinsk superbolide
- Visibility
- References
Discovery, orbit and physical properties
2011 EO40 was discovered by Richard A. Kowalski on March 10, 2011 while observing for the Mount Lemmon Survey.
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. 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. 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. 2011 EO40 has an absolute magnitude of 21.5, which gives a characteristic diameter of about 200 metres (660 ft).
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. It has relatively frequent close encounters with Venus, the Earth–Moon system, and Mars. It had a close encounter with Earth on January 28, 2011 at 0.0953 AU (14,260,000 km; 8,860,000 mi), and it will have a nominal Earth approach on September 23, 2025 at around 0.06 AU (9,000,000 km; 5,600,000 mi). 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.
Visibility
Future opposition windows are: June 7, 2016 at magnitude 24.5, and May 28, 2018 at magnitude 24.6. The best observation window will be on September 2–23, 2025. Depending on the Earth approach distance (0.04–0.12 AU), it should be brighter than magnitude 19.