Re: Re NEO ?

From: Jim Scotti (jscotti@pirl.lpl.Arizona.EDU)
Date: Wed Dec 22 2004 - 15:24:19 EST

  • Next message: Russell Eberst: "DEC22.OBS"

    Hi John,
        Our group, Spacewatch, was the discoverer of 2004 YD5.  It is the closest
    and nearly the smallest of all the NEAs that we have found, being about 4-9
    meters in diameter and having passed 0.00023 AU or 34,500 km from Earth.  We
    found it after its closest approach, but then it would only have made a
    really nice fireball had it entered the atmosphere instead.  I think it is
    now the 2nd closest observed approach of an asteroid that was not in the
    atmosphere.  Until earlier in 2004, I still held the record for the closest
    observed approach of an asteroid outside the atmosphere with 1994 XM1 which
    passed only 105,000 km from Earth.  Fun stuff!
    
    Jim.
    
    On Wed, 22 Dec 2004, John Locker wrote:
    
    > Further to my recent post about a possible NEO the video has been studied by 
    > the UK NEO Information Centre .
    > 
    > It doesnt look look this was a chunk of rock.....however , interestingly I 
    > did receive this...
    > 
    > "  By co-incidence, a small close NEO has been announced that
    > flew-by near to (but not at) your position on the evening of the 19th.
    > It reached mag 13 that evening during a very close approach.
    > See the discovery MPEC of 2004YD5 at
    > http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/mpec/K04/K04Y35.html "
    > 
    > We have agreed on an orbital period of 99.95 hours.....if it is in high 
    > "polar " orbit.
    > The object slices through the ecliptic  from north to south.
    > 
    > It may still be , as Bjorn and Jim suggested , a highly inclined sat at that 
    > position.... but
    > unfortunately the weather has closed in again so I can't make any further 
    > obs for the time being.
    > BTW  2004YD5 , although small ,  passed pretty close.   0.00023 AU 
    > ....but only seems to have been announced after the event ;o)
    > 
    > 
    > John
    > 
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    Jim Scotti
    Lunar & Planetary Laboratory
    University of Arizona
    Tucson, AZ 85721 USA                 http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/~jscotti/    
    
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