[meteorite-list] Re: Somewhat off-topic: close asteroid flyby coming up

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 09:55:39 2004
Message-ID: <200201022206.OAA18245_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

>
> Hi Ron & List,
>
> In case anyone with a good-sized telescope wants to try to
> see it, a very newly discovered asteroid, 2001 YB5, will pass
> within only 2 lunar distances of earth on January 7th.

In case you didn't know, on the top of the Near-Earth Objects
home page, I now have a table of upcoming close approaches to Earth:

http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov

The table lists the next 20
close approaches of an asteroid or comet that comes within 0.2 AU
of the Earth. It is updated twice per day.
Each object links to an applet so that the
orbit can be viewed in 3D. Also, in the middle of the orbits page, there is a
link to generate an ephemeris for that object.

2001 YB5 will pass by the Earth at 0.0056 AU (or 2.2 lunar distances
from the Earth on January 7, and the estimated diameter of the asteroid
is 240 meters to 540 meters.

> A question for Ron: can you tell me what the deal is with
> asteroid 2001 SJ207? This thing is listed as having an
> absolute (H) magnitude of 1.43! This has got to be a typo,
> but that's how it's listed in the minor planet catalog
> database.

I took a look at their database, and they have a H value of
14.9 listed for 2001 SJ207.

Ron Baalke
Received on Wed 02 Jan 2002 05:06:10 PM PST