 Radar images of 2016 AZ8 and its satellite by the Arecibo Observatory in January 2019 | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | WISE |
| Discovery site | Earth orbit |
| Discovery date | 3 January 2016 |
| Designations | |
| MPC designation | 2016 AZ8 |
| Minor planet category | NEO · Apollo PHA |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch 27 April 2019 (JD 2458600.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 3.69 yr (1,347 d) |
| Aphelion | 1.7895 AU |
| Perihelion | 0.8516 AU |
| Semi-major axis | 1.3205 AU |
| Eccentricity | 0.3551 |
| Orbital period (sidereal) | 1.52 yr (554 d) |
| Mean anomaly | 99.623° |
| Mean motion | 0° 38 58.2 / day |
| Inclination | 5.5862° |
| Longitude of ascending node | 90.016° |
| Argument of perihelion | 318.51° |
| Known satellites | 1 |
| Earth MOID | 0.0295 AU (11.49 LD) |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Mean diameter | 215±52 m |
| Absolute magnitude (H) | 21.0 |
2016 AZ8 is a sub-kilometer asteroid and near-Earth object of the Apollo group, at least 400 meters (1,300 feet) in diameter. It was first observed on 3 January 2016, by the WISE telescope with precovery images found back in 2012.
The potentially hazardous asteroid is a binary system with a minor-planet moon in its orbit. The discovery was made by astronomers at Arecibo Observatory on 4 January 2019, while 2016 AZ8 was passing within 4,460,000 kilometers (0.0298 AU) of the Earth. The binary has a secondary-to-primary diameter ratio of at least 0.3.
Orbit and classification
2016 AZ8 orbits the Sun at a distance of 0.85–1.8 AU once every 18 months (554 days; semi-major axis of 1.32 AU). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.36 and an inclination of 6° with respect to the ecliptic. The body's observation arc begins with a precovery taken at the Siding Spring Survey in July 2012, more than three years prior to its official discovery observation.
References
- ^ "2016 AZ8". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
- ^ "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: (2016 AZ8)" (2016-03-29 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
- ^ "Arecibo Radar". Twitter. 4 January 2019. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
External links
- MPEC 2016-A161: Daily Orbit Update, K16A08Z, 15 January 2016
- List of the Potentially Hazardous Asteroids (PHAs), Minor Planet Center
- 2016 AZ8 at NeoDyS-2, Near Earth Objects—Dynamic Site
- 2016 AZ8 at ESA–space situational awareness
- 2016 AZ8 at the JPL Small-Body Database
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