MPC designation 2013 LX28 Discovered 12 June 2013 Argument of perihelion 345.77666° | Discovery date June 12, 2013 Orbital period 366 days Inclination 49.9742° Discoverer Pan-STARRS | |
Aphelion 1.4543719 AU (217.57094 Gm) Semi-major axis 1.00161641 AU (149.839682 Gm) Similar Pan-STARRS discoveries, Other celestial objects | ||
2013 LX28, also written 2013 LX28, is an asteroid that is a temporary quasi-satellite of the Earth, the third known Earth quasi-satellite.
Contents
Discovery, orbit and physical properties
2013 LX28 was discovered on June 12, 2013. As of September 2014, it has been observed 26 times with a data-arc span of 349 days. It is an Apollo asteroid and its semi-major axis (1.0016 AU) is very similar to that of the Earth but it has relatively high eccentricity (0.4521) and high orbital inclination (49.9761°). With an absolute magnitude of 21.7, it has a diameter in the range 130–300 m (for an assumed albedo range of 0.04–0.20).
Quasi-satellite dynamical state and orbital evolution
2013 LX28 has been identified as an Earth quasi-satellite following a kidney-shaped retrograde orbit around the Earth.
References
2013 LX28 Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA