10-16 April '06 - A/CC Small Object Report

ACC's Small Object Report for 10-16 April 2006

A semi-automated report compiled on 17 April 2006 at 0002 UTC

There are five small asteroids reported in the last 168 hours, during which one was newly discovered.

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Editor's note: As asteroids go, "small" is defined as having an absolute magnitude (brightness) calculated at greater than H=22.0, which converts very roughly to a diameter under 135 meters. No matter how close they come to the Earth, the astronomical community does not classify such objects as "potentially hazardous." However, as demonstrated by the mile wide (1.6 km.) Barringer Crater in Arizona, blasted out by a "small" asteroid some 50,000 years ago, there are asteroids too small to be labeled "potentially hazardous" that actually could cause severe local damage. These are sometimes called "Tunguska-class objects" (TCOs), after the 1908 event probably caused by a comet fragment or asteroid too small to be classified today as hazardous but packing enough wallop to flatten a Siberian forest area the size of a large city.
NEODyS in December 2005 changed its main Risk page to classify "Objects too small to result in heavy damage on the ground" as having "absolute magnitude > 25," which corresponds to perhaps 35 meters wide. And JPL two months earlier started flagging (with a blue background) risk-listed objects of "Estimated diameter 50 meters or less" as "not likely to cause significant damage in the event of an impact, although impact damage does depend heavily upon the specific (and usually unknown) physical properties of the object in question."
Small asteroids that come close enough to Earth to be seen have significant potential for scientific study today, and for exploration and exploitation someday. Mainly a sampling of distant asteroid populations, a few may be remnants of the event that created the Earth-Moon system.
Some of these objects are discovered while close to Earth moving across the sky quite quickly, when they are called "FMOs" or "VFMOs" (very fast moving objects). The discovery and follow-up tracking of asteroids with H>22.0 represents some of the most difficult and very best observing work being done today by amateur and professional astronomers around the world, and the page you are reading is dedicated to recognizing their ongoing successes.

Object Listings -- smallest objects first [ Alpha Index | 48 Hours | top ]

Size estimate: 10 meters per JPL H=27.76, MPC H=27.8 This object has been listed as an impact risk since 10 April 2006. JPL classifies 2006 GU2 as an Apollo and calculates an Earth MOID of 0.003653 AU (1.42 LD), and reports this object passed Earth at 2.6 lunar distances (LD) on 1 April 2006 at about 1419 UT. Observations are reported from the following observatories in MPEC 2006-G33: Mt. Lemmon Survey (MLS) [G96] 2006-04-07 0713-0850, 8 pos in MPEC 2006-G33, discovery (*) 2006-04-08 0509-0539, 4 pos in MPEC 2006-G33, confirmation 2006-04-09 0449-0458, 2 pos in MPEC 2006-G33, confirmation Spacewatch 1.8m telescope [291] 2006-04-09 0710-0719, 2 pos in MPEC 2006-G33, confirmation (H) 2006 GC (K06G00C) [ JPL Orbit Viewer | NEODyS object home | news | viewing | index | top ]

Size estimate: 43 meters per JPL H=24.48, MPC H=24.5 This object was listed from 4 until 7 April 2006 as an impact risk. JPL classifies 2006 GC as an Apollo and calculates an Earth MOID of 0.038055 AU (14.81 LD). Observations are reported from the following observatories in MPECs 2006-G39 and 2006-G52: Spacewatch 1.8m telescope [291] 2006-04-09 0524-0531, 2 pos in MPEC 2006-G39, follow-up (t) Great Shefford Obs. [J95] 2006-04-14 0131-0142, 3 pos in MPEC 2006-G52, follow-up See also information from the week ending 9 April 2006. 2006 DN (K06D00N) [ JPL Orbit Viewer | NEODyS object home | news | viewing | index | top ]

Size estimate: 43 meters per JPL H=24.48, MPC H=24.5 This object has been listed as an impact risk since 22 Feb. 2006. JPL classifies 2006 DN as an Apollo and calculates an Earth MOID of 0.004390 AU (1.71 LD), and reports this object passed Earth at 10.2 LD on 17 March 2006. Lowell Observatory reports 2006 DN has an MOID of 0.02191 AU (8.53 LD) with Mars. Observations are reported from the following observatories in MPEC 2006-G59: Whipple Obs. [696{7}] coded to Tim Spahr 2006-03-26 1148-1153, 3 pos in MPEC 2006-G59, follow-up See also information from the week ending 26 March 2006. 2006 GB1 (K06G01B) [ JPL Orbit Viewer | NEODyS object home | news | viewing | index | top ]

Size estimate: 47 meters per JPL H=24.27, MPC H=24.2 JPL classifies 2006 GB1 as an Apollo and calculates an Earth MOID of 0.009810 AU (3.82 LD), and reports this object will pass Earth at 14.8 LD on 27 April 2006. Observations are reported from the following observatories in MPEC 2006-H01: Pla D'Arguines Obs. [941] 2006-04-15 2343-2347, 4 pos in MPEC 2006-H01, follow-up See also information from the week ending 9 April 2006. 2006 DD42 (K06D42D) [ JPL Orbit Viewer | NEODyS object home | news | viewing | index | top ]

Size estimate: 56 meters per JPL H=23.92, MPC H=23.9 JPL classifies 2006 DD42 as an Amor and calculates an Earth MOID of 0.127266 AU (49.52 LD). Observations are reported from the following observatories in MPEC 2006-G52: Whipple Obs. [696{7}] coded to Tim Spahr 2006-03-25 0905-0931, 2 pos in MPEC 2006-G52, follow-up See also information from the week ending 26 March 2006.

48+120 Hours [ Objects Listings (size order) | Object Index (alpha/xref) | top ]

Observations of five small objects were reported during the last 168 hours: 2006 DD42, 2006 DN, 2006 GB1, 2006 GC & 2006 GU2 in MPECs: 2006-G33 time-stamped 2006 Apr. 10, 14:54 UT - 2006 GU2 2006-G39 time-stamped 2006 Apr. 11, 06:08 UT - Daily Orbit Update 2006-G52 time-stamped 2006 Apr. 14, 06:09 UT - Daily Orbit Update 2006-G59 time-stamped 2006 Apr. 15, 06:08 UT - Daily Orbit Update 2006-H01 time-stamped 2006 Apr. 16, 06:09 UT - Daily Orbit Update Date & times for other sources that were parsed to compile this page: JPL Close Approaches, downloaded at 2006 April 17, 0002 UTC JPL NEO Orbital Elements, downloaded at 2006 April 16, 1454 UTC Lowell Observatory Orbit intersections, time-stamped 2006 Apr 09 1036:20 UTC MPC NEA.DAT from MPC mirror, downloaded at 2006 April 16, 1449 UTC Risk monitoring sites, as of A/CC's check at 2006 April 17, 0000 UTC (see CRT page) Some observation sets have MPEC codes in parentheses, such as (*) denoting discovery.

Viewing Opportunities for Small Objects [ news | size order | alpha order | top ]

This compilation shows 17 small objects as being currently in view, including 15 not reported in the last seven days. Viewing by date order - see this list also by designation order Object View until MOID AU Dia H Arc Notes (calc date) ---------- ---------- -------- --- ----- --- - ----------------------- 2005 XO4 2006-04-20 0.021856 126 22.14 23 - past obs. - (7 Jan.) 2006 GC 2006-04-22 0.038055 43 24.48 12 - was risk listed - (14 April) 2006 FV 2006-04-25 0.107905 81 23.10 14 - past obs. - (8 April) 2006 EE 2006-04-27 0.060515 70 23.41 8 - past obs. - (12 March) 2006 DT63 2006-04-29 0.267903 120 22.25 24 - past obs. - (29 March) 2006 GB1 2006-04-30 0.009810 47 24.27 14 - (16 April) 2002 FT6 2006-05-01 0.040999 120 22.26 3op - (11 Feb.) 2006 EY 2006-05-04 0.048691 31 25.16 21 - past obs. - (29 March) 2002 GK1 2006-05-05 0.004309 114 22.36 6 - faint recov. poss. - (22 Jan.) 2003 SN214 2006-05-09 0.074328 87 22.94 34 - (11 Feb.) 2002 GD10 2006-05-11 0.060027 121 22.23 85 - faint recov. poss. - (15 Dec.) 2006 FH 2006-05-18 0.047142 46 24.35 11 - past obs. - (9 April) 2004 RQ252 2006-05-22 0.000443 115 22.34 23 - risk listed - (5 March) 2006 CL9 2006-05-26 0.039810 96 22.73 48 - past obs. - (5 April) 2006 CW 2006-06-01 0.153258 110 22.45 45 - past obs. - (29 March) 2006 FH36 2006-06-04 0.015416 89 22.89 7 - (8 April) 2005 YA37 2006-07-09 0.035667 111 22.43 26 - past obs. - (4 Feb.) Coming into view soon: 2005 YM128 2006 06 30 0.029697 56 23.91 13 - >21 April - past obs. - (5 March) Viewing by designation order - see also Viewing by date order Object View until MOID AU Dia H Arc Notes (calc date) ---------- ---------- -------- --- ----- --- - ----------------------- 2006 GB1 2006-04-30 0.009810 47 24.27 14 - (16 April) 2006 GC 2006-04-22 0.038055 43 24.48 12 - was risk listed - (14 April) 2006 FH36 2006-06-04 0.015416 89 22.89 7 - (8 April) 2006 FV 2006-04-25 0.107905 81 23.10 14 - past obs. - (8 April) 2006 FH 2006-05-18 0.047142 46 24.35 11 - past obs. - (9 April) 2006 EY 2006-05-04 0.048691 31 25.16 21 - past obs. - (29 March) 2006 EE 2006-04-27 0.060515 70 23.41 8 - past obs. - (12 March) 2006 DT63 2006-04-29 0.267903 120 22.25 24 - past obs. - (29 March) 2006 CL9 2006-05-26 0.039810 96 22.73 48 - past obs. - (5 April) 2006 CW 2006-06-01 0.153258 110 22.45 45 - past obs. - (29 March) 2005 YM128 2006 06 30 0.029697 56 23.91 13 - >21 April - past obs. - (5 March) 2005 YA37 2006-07-09 0.035667 111 22.43 26 - past obs. - (4 Feb.) 2005 XO4 2006-04-20 0.021856 126 22.14 23 - past obs. - (7 Jan.) 2004 RQ252 2006-05-22 0.000443 115 22.34 23 - risk listed - (5 March) 2003 SN214 2006-05-09 0.074328 87 22.94 34 - (11 Feb.) 2002 GD10 2006-05-11 0.060027 121 22.23 85 - faint recov. poss. - (15 Dec.) 2002 GK1 2006-05-05 0.004309 114 22.36 6 - faint recov. poss. - (22 Jan.) 2002 FT6 2006-05-01 0.040999 120 22.26 3op - (11 Feb.) Out-of-view date based on MPES solar elongation <40° and/or magnitude V>22.0 at 1200 UT. (Not factored in is any lunar interference with viewing.) Objects are linked in the left-most column only if observed in the last seven days, while objects with earlier small-object reporting are linked under "Notes." Diameter ("Dia") is in meters, a very rough estimate from brightness (H). Observing "Arc" is from MPES in days or number of oppositions.

Small object observation cross index [ size order | 48 Hours | viewing | top ]

Object

Observed by MPC code

696

696

941

291, J95