Discovery date 13 May 1991 Alternative names 1991 JW1 Discovered 13 May 1991 Orbits Sun Asteroid group Asteroid belt | MPC designation 21062 Observation arc 12169 days (33.32 yr) Inclination 23.60013° Discovery site Palomar Observatory | |
Discovered by C. S. Shoemaker and E. M. Shoemaker Aphelion 3.1485359 AU (471.01427 Gm) Discoverers Carolyn S. Shoemaker, Eugene Merle Shoemaker Similar Sun, 3554 Amun, Comet Shoemak, 129P/Shoemaker–Levy, 118P/Shoemaker–Levy | ||
21062 Iasky (1991 JW1) is a main-belt asteroid discovered on May 13, 1991 by C. S. Shoemaker and E. M. Shoemaker at Palomar.
In his 1994 book Pale Blue Dot, Astronomer Carl Sagan speculated on the nature of 1991JW, saying it "has an orbit very much like the Earth's and is even easier to get to than 4660 Nereus. But its orbit seems too similar to the Earth's for it to be a natural object. Perhaps it's some lost upper stage of the Saturn V Apollo moon rocket.
References
21062 Iasky Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA