2007 TU24

Infobox Planet
minorplanet=yes
name=mp|2007 TU|24
discovery=yes
discoverer=Catalina Sky Survey
discovered=October 11, 2007
designations="none"
mp_category=Apollo asteroid,
Earth-crosser asteroid
epoch=February 4, 2008
semimajor=2.044 AU
perihelion=0.948 AU
aphelion=3.140 AU
eccentricity=0.536
period=2.92 a
inclination=5.628°
asc_node=127.095°
arg_peri=334.165°
mean_anomaly=9.045°
physical_characteristics=yes
dimensions=~250 meterscite web |title=NASA Scientists Get First Images of Earth Flyby Asteroid |publisher=NASA/JPL |date=2008-01-25 |url=http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2008-014 |accessdate=2008-01-26]
mass= <2.4e|10 kg
density=unknown
gravity=unknown
escape_velocity= <0.58 km/hradius of 0.125 km; volume of a sphere * maximum likely density of 3g/cm³ (though it could be a loose rubble pile) yields an improbable mass of 2.45e10 kg and an improbable escape velocity of 0.58 km/h.]
rotation=roughly once per day
abs_magnitude=20.2 [http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=2007TU24#phys_par JPL Small-Body Database Browser ] ]
albedo=0.24
temperatures=yes
temp_name1=Kelvin
mean_temp_1=unknown


caption = Radar image of mp|2007 TU|24.
"Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech"

Asteroid mp|2007 TU|24 was discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey in Arizona on October 11, 2007. Imaging radar has estimated that this asteroid is convert|250|m|ft|0|sp=us|abbr=off in diameter. This object's 554,209 kilometer (344,370 mile or 1.4-lunar distance)cite web |title=Asteroid Zooms by Earth |publisher=NASA/JPL |date=2008-01-29 |url=http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2008-014a |accessdate=2008-01-30] approach on January 29 2008 at 08:33 UTC was the closest for any known potentially hazardous asteroid (PHA) of this size until 2027. [ [http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news157.html Near-Earth Asteroid 2007 TU24 to Pass Close to Earth on Jan. 29 - Should be Observable with Modest Sized Telescopes ] ] At closest approach the asteroid had an apparent magnitude of 10.3 and was about 50 times fainter than what the naked eye can see. It required about a convert|3|in|mm|sing=on telescope to be seen.

Impact risk assessment

From the date of discovery of asteroid mp|2007 TU|24 on 11 October, 2007, a total of 315 observations of this asteroid were made by 31 January 2008, spanning 112 days. The trajectory of this asteroid is well defined. It was removed from the 'current impact risks' page of the NASA website on 4 December 2007 at 14:05 UTC. [ [http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/risk/removed.html NEOs Removed from Impact Risks Tables ] ] [ [http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/risk/ Current Impact Risks ] ] [ [http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/risk/doc/sentry.html Impact Risk Assessment: An Introduction ] ]

Further updates

Goldstone Observatory carried out radar observations of this asteroid on January 23 and January 24 2008. As of January 24, the orbit of this asteroid was known with such a high precision that scientists were able to calculate close approaches of this asteroid from the year 67 AD to 2141 AD. [http://echo.jpl.nasa.gov/asteroids/2007TU24/2007TU24planning.html 2007 TU24planning.html ] ] This simulation showed that on January 29 2008 at 08:33 UTC, the asteroid mp|2007 TU|24 would fly by the earth at distance 554,110 km (0.003704 AU) with a relative speed of 9.248 km/s.

Observations from Arecibo Observatory were taken on February 1-4.

Other close approaches

*Asteroid 2004 XP14 was the closest potentially hazardous asteroid, passing Earth by 432,308 km (268,624 miles), 0.00289 AU, or just 1.1 times the Moon's average distance from Earth on July 3 2006.

*Asteroid 4179 Toutatis (4.5 km diameter) came within 1.5 million km, 0.0104 AU (within 4 lunar distances) of the Earth on September 29 2004.

*On August 7 2027, (137108) 1999 AN10 will pass within 388,960 km (0.0026 AU) of the Earth.

*On Friday, April 13 2029, Apophis will pass the earth within the orbits of the geosynchronous communication satellites.

ee also

*List of noteworthy asteroids
*Asteroid deflection strategies
*Asteroid naming conventions
*Radar astronomy

References

External links

* [http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=2007TU24;orb=1 Orbital simulation] from JPL (Java) / [http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons.cgi?find_body=1&body_group=sb&sstr=2007TU24 Horizons Ephemeris]
* [http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2008-012 Asteroid to Make Rare Close Flyby of Earth] (Catalina Sky Survey Photo)
* [http://www.int.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=118&art_id=vn20080124063319844C968336 Huge asteroid to fly by past earth.Independent Online]
* [http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/ Near Earth Object Program] (at "NASA.gov")
* [http://newton.dm.unipi.it/cgi-bin/neodys/neoibo?objects:2007TU24;main NEODys site entry for 2007TU24]