Discovery date 31 March 2012 Observation arc 21 days Discovered 31 March 2012 Asteroid group Aten asteroid | MPC designation 2012 FC71 Aphelion 1.0750 AU Discoverer Andrea Boattini | |
Discovered by Mt. Lemmon Survey
A. Boattini
(unofficial credits) Minor planet category NEO · Aten
Earth crosser Similar 2014 UR116, 2003 YN107, Jupiter trojan | ||
2012 FC71, also written 2012 FC71, is a small asteroid trapped in a Kozai resonance with the Earth.
Contents
Discovery, orbit and physical properties
It was first observed on March 31, 2012, by Andrea Boattini observing for the Mt. Lemmon Survey. Its orbit is characterized by low eccentricity (0.088), low inclination (4.97º) and a semi-major axis of 0.9895 AU; It is an Aten asteroid but also an Earth crosser. As of May 11, 2013 its orbit is based on 35 observations spanning a data-arc of 21 days.
Kozai resonator and future orbital evolution
2012 FC71 is locked in a Kozai resonance and as such it has a very slow orbital evolution and it will remain relatively unperturbed for hundreds of thousands of years. It had a close encounter with the Earth on April 18, 2012 at 0.076 AU and it had next one on about May 17, 2013 at 0.0581 AU.
Origin
It may have been originated within the Venus-Earth-Mars region or in the main asteroid belt like other Near-Earth Objects, then transition to Amor-class asteroid before entering Earth's co-orbital region.