Asteroids Flashcards
(13 cards)
Which asteroid passed within 17,200 miles of Earth on Feb. 15, 2013?
2012 DA14
What was the size of 2012 DA14?
Estimated mass of 40,000 metric tons, diameter 30 meters (98ft). Before radar imaging, it was estimated at 45-50 m.
What is the other name for 2012 DA14?
367943 Duende
What is the mission of the Catalina Sky Survey?
“Contribute to the inventory of near-Earth objects (NEOs), or more specifically, the potentially hazardous asteroids (PHAs) that pose an impact risk”
When was the congressional directive to NASA to conduct a program to identify 1km or larger bodies started?
1998
What did the congressional mandate of June 2006 say?
To identify all bodies of 140 m size or larger to the same 90% confidence level.
What comprises the consortium of the CSS?
It’s actually all 3 of CSS (telescope on Mt. Bigelow in the Catalina Mountains, AZ), the Mt. Lemon Survey (MLS – at Mt. Lemon in the Catalina Mountains), and Siding Spring Survey (SSS – at Siding Spring Observatory in NSW, Australia) working together under the name of the first survey.
What are Apollo asteroids ?
A group of near-Earth asteroids named after 1862 Apollo, the first asteroid of this group discovered. They are Earth-crosser asteroids that have orbital semi-major axes greater than that of the Earth (> 1 AU ) but perihelion distances less than the Earth’s aphelion distance (q
What is the largest known Apollo asteroid?
1866 Sisyphus, discovered in 1972, with a diameter of ~9–10 km.
What is the orbit of Apollo asteroids?
The red dot is Mars. The green indicates the Apollo asteroids.
What is the largest near-Earth asteroid of any type?
1036 Ganymed, discovered in 1924, with a diameter of ~32–34 km.
What are the types of asteroids?
Apollo
Amor
Aten
Atira
What is the basis of dividing the asteroids into groups?
- perihelion distance
- aphelion distance
- semi-major axis
