3200 Phaethon
3200 Phaethon, sometimes incorrectly spelt Phaeton, is an Apollo asteroid and a dead comet.[1]
 Asteroid (3200) Phaethon imaged on 25 Dec 2010 with the 37 cm F14 Cassegrain telescope of Winer Observatory, Sonoita (MPC 857) by Marco Langbroek. | |
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovery date | 11 October 1983 |
| Designations | |
Named after | Phaëton |
| 1983 TB | |
| Apollo asteroid | |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| Epoch July 14, 2004 (JD 2453200.5) | |
| Aphelion | 2.403 AU (359.456 Gm) |
| Perihelion | 0.140 AU (20.922 Gm) |
| 1.271 AU (190.189 Gm) | |
| Eccentricity | 0.890 |
| 1.43 a (523.586 d) | |
Average orbital speed | 19.98 km/s |
| 200.798° | |
| Inclination | 22.169° |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 5.1 km[1] |
| Mass | 1.4×1014 kg |
It was announced on 14 October 1983 in IAUC 3878, with optical confirmation that it looks like an asteroid. It was the first asteroid to be found by a spacecraft. It measures 5.10 km in diameter.
Phaethon approaches the Sun closer than any other numbered asteroid. Its perihelion (closest approach to the Sun) is only 0.140 AU – less than half Mercury's perihelion distance. It is a Mercury-, Venus-, Earth- and Mars-crosser. The surface temperature at perihelion could reach ~1025 K, or 1400 F. For this reason, it was named after the Greek myth of Phaëton, son of the sun god Helios.
Phaethon approached to 18.1 Gm on 10 December 2007. It will draw nearer in 2017, 2050, 2060, and closer still on 14 December 2093, passing within 0.0198 AU (3.0 Gm).
3200 Phaethon Media
Animation of 3200 Phaethon's orbit Sun · Mercury · Venus · Earth · Mars · 3200 Phaethon
Phaethon's dust ejection is likely caused by a mechanism similar to how mud in a dry lake bottom cracks from heat
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 3200 Phaethon (1983 TB)". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. 2012-02-25. Retrieved 2012-06-19.