2019 GC6 is a very small near-Earth asteroid and potentially hazardous object of the Apollo group, approximately 20 meters (70 ft) in diameter. It was detected by the Catalina Sky Survey at Catalina Station on 9 April 2019, a few days before it made its first-observed pass through the cislunar region at a distance of 136,000 miles (219,000 km), comparable to roughly half the average distance from the Earth to the Moon (0.58 LD).[4][5]
| Discovery [1][2] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | CSS |
| Discovery site | Catalina Stn. |
| Discovery date | 9 April 2019 |
| Designations | |
| 2019 GC6 | |
| NEO · Apollo [1][2] | |
| Orbital characteristics [2] | |
| Epoch 27 April 2019 (JD 2458600.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 5[2] · 4[1] | |
| Observation arc | 17 days |
| Aphelion | 1.2985 AU |
| Perihelion | 0.9104 AU |
| 1.1045 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.1757 |
| 1.16 yr (424 d) | |
| 317.32° | |
| 0° 50m 56.76s / day | |
| Inclination | 1.2557° |
| 211.61° | |
| 63.845° | |
| Earth MOID | 0.0015 AU (0.5844 LD) |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 15 m (est. at 0.20)[3] 28 m (est. at 0.057)[3] | |
| 26.5[1] 26.51[2] | |
Orbit and classification
edit2019 GC6 is a member of the Apollo group of asteroids, which are Earth-crossing asteroids. They are the largest group of near-Earth objects with approximately 10,000 known members. It orbits the Sun at a distance of 0.91–1.29 AU once every 14 months (424 days; semi-major axis of 1.1 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.18 and an inclination of 1° with respect to the ecliptic.[2]
The body's observation arc begins with its first observation by the Mount Lemmon Survey on 31 March 2019, just a few days prior to its potential discovery observation by the Catalina Sky Survey.[1]
Physical characteristics
editDiameter and albedo
editThe dimensions of the asteroid are estimated to range between 7.5–30 metres (25–98 ft) and has been compared to size of a house.[4][5] Based on an magnitude-to-diameter conversion and a measured absolute magnitude of 26.5, 2019 GC6 measures between 15 and 28 meters in diameter for an assumed geometric albedo of 0.20 (siliceous) and 0.057 (carbonaceous), respectively.[1][3]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f "2019 GC6". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: (2019 GC6)" (2019-04-17 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
- ^ a b c "Asteroid Size Estimator". CNEOS NASA/JPL. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
- ^ a b "Massive asteroid will pass Earth closer than the Moon". The Independent. 17 April 2019. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
- ^ a b Weitering, Hanneke; Astronomy. "A House-Size Asteroid Zipped by Earth Today". Space.com. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
External links
edit- CSS Observer Africano Discovers 2019’s Closest Earth-Grazing Asteroid, Catalina Sky Survey, 17 April 2019
- 2019 GC6 at NeoDyS-2, Near Earth Objects—Dynamic Site
- 2019 GC6 at ESA–space situational awareness
- 2019 GC6 at the JPL Small-Body Database