Discovery date 4 March 1986 Observation arc 10923 days (29.91 yr) Discovered 4 March 1986 Named after Amun | Alternative names 1986 EB Orbital period 351 days Orbits Sun Discovery site Palomar Observatory | |
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Discovered by Carolyn and
Eugene Shoemaker Minor planet category Aten asteroid,
Venus-crosser asteroid Aphelion 1.24677 AU (186.514 Gm) Discoverers Carolyn S. Shoemaker, Eugene Merle Shoemaker Similar 3362 Khufu, Sun, 5381 Sekhmet, Solar System, 2100 Ra‑Shalom | ||
3554 Amun is an M-type Aten asteroid (meaning it crosses Earth's orbit) and a Venus-crosser. It was discovered on 4 March 1986 by Carolyn and Eugene Shoemaker at Mount Palomar Observatory. Its estimated diameter is 2.48 kilometers, making it one of the smallest known M-type asteroids. Amun was the fifth Aten asteroid to be numbered.
Amun was once considered metallic, based on its M-type spectrum. In Mining the Sky, planetary scientist John S. Lewis calculated the value of 3554 Amun at $20 trillion.
(6178) 1986 DA is another M-type near-Earth asteroid with lower inclination that is actually metallic.
Amun passes closest to Venus, and in 1964, 2034, and 2103 comes within 10 Gm of it.
References
3554 Amun Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA