Newly Discovered Binary Asteroid 2020 BXâ‚â‚‚ Passes by Earth
takyon writes:
2020 BX12 is a sub-kilometer binary asteroid, classified as a near-Earth asteroid and potentially hazardous object of the Apollo group. It was discovered on 27 January 2020, by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System survey at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii. The asteroid was discovered during its close approach to Earth from a nominal distance of 11.5 lunar distances, or approximately 4.36 million km (2.71 million mi). After the asteroid safely passed by Earth on 3 February, radar observations of the asteroid were carried out, revealing a small natural satellite orbiting 360 m (1,180 ft) from the primary body. The discovery of the satellite was announced by the Arecibo Observatory on 10 February 2020.
[...] Radar imaging by the Arecibo Observatory show that 2020 BX12 is at least 165 m (541 ft) in diameter, implying a geometric albedo of 0.30 given its absolute magnitude of 20.6. The rotation of 2020 BX12 has not been fully observed in detail, thus only constraints on its rotation period can be made. From radar observations spanning two days, the maximum possible rotation period of 2020 BX12 is around 2.8 hours. 2020 BX12 appears to have a nearly spheroidal shape, which is commonly observed in other near-Earth objects such as 2005 YU55 and 101955 Bennu.
The satellite of 2020 BX12 is approximately 70 m (230 ft) in diameter, with a diameter ratio of 0.42 compared to the primary's diameter of 165 m (541 ft). The satellite is estimated to have a semi-major axis of about 360 m (1,180 ft), with an orbital period of at least 1.96 days.
Congress has required NASA to find 90% of all potentially hazardous near-Earth asteroids over 140 meters in diameter by the end of 2020. Given the nature of 2020 BX12's discovery and size, that goal will not be met.
Also at ScienceAlert.
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