Asteroid
(679648) 2019 XS is a small Apollo near-Earth asteroid discovered on 2 December 2019 by the Mount Lemmon Survey in Arizona , United States .[ 2] It passed 1.493 lunar distances (574,000 km; 357,000 mi) from Earth on 9 November 2021 at 03:48 UTC , after which observations were checked by the International Asteroid Warning Network for timing and astrometric accuracy.[ 7] [ 8] [ 9] During the close pass, the asteroid trailed across the far Southern Hemisphere to the Northern Hemisphere and reached a peak apparent magnitude of 13. A total of 957 observations were collected by Minor Planet Center as part of the International Asteroid Warning Network's campaign.[ 10]
2019 XS is well-observed with a long observation arc of over 21 years, enough to distinguish subtle changes in its orbit over time due non-gravitational acceleration by the Yarkovsky effect .[ 4] [ 10] Highly precise radar observations by NASA 's Goldstone Solar System Radar on 11 November 2021 have significantly constrained the asteroid's orbit and 2021 close approach distance to within a few kilometres.[ 4] Radar imaging has shown that the asteroid is roughly 70 m (230 ft) in diameter, with a rotation period around 3 hours.[ 5]
Continuous photometric observations by the Center for Solar System Studies in Landers, California show an irregular light curve for 2019 XS, signifying that the asteroid is in a tumbling rotation state.[ 6] The light curve of 2019 XS appears to display two overlapping periods of 2.35 and 3.01 hours, which could possibly be associated with the asteroid's rotation and precession .[ 6]
See also
2012 TC4 , another near-Earth asteroid with a dedicated IAWN timing campaign
References
^ a b "2019 XS" . Minor Planet Center . International Astronomical Union. Retrieved 12 October 2021 .
^ a b "MPEC 2019-X47 : 2019 XS" . Minor Planet Electronic Circular . Minor Planet Center . 4 December 2019. Retrieved 12 October 2021 .
^ "2019 XS" . NEO Exchange . Las Cumbres Observatory . 5 October 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2021 .
^ a b c d e "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: (2019 XS)" (2021-12-09 last obs.). Jet Propulsion Laboratory . Retrieved 7 January 2022 .
^ a b Benner, Lance A. M. "Goldstone Radar Observations Planning: Orpheus, 2004 UE, 2019 XS, and 2010 VK139" . Jet Propulsion Laboratory . California Institute of Technology. Retrieved 12 November 2021 .
^ a b c d Warner, Brian D.; Stephens, Robert D. (April 2022). "Near-Earth Asteroid Lightcurve Analysis at the Center for Solar System Studies: 2021 October-December" . The Minor Planet Bulletin . 49 (2): 83– 89. Bibcode :2022MPBu...49...83W .
^ "2019 XS: Timing Assessment" . International Asteroid Warning Network. 3 October 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2021 .
^ "MPEC 2021-T79 : International Asteroid Warning Network (IAWN) Timing Campaign" . Minor Planet Electronic Circular . Minor Planet Center . 5 October 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2021 .
^ "MPEC 2020-V63 : 2019 XS" . Minor Planet Electronic Circular . Minor Planet Center . 10 November 2020. Retrieved 12 October 2021 .
^ a b Farnocchia, Davide; Reddy, Vishnu; Bauer, James M.; Warner, Elizabeth M.; Micheli, Marco; Payne, Matthew J.; et al. (July 2022). "International Asteroid Warning Network Timing Campaign: 2019 XS" . The Planetary Science Journal . 3 (7): 13. Bibcode :2022PSJ.....3..156F . doi :10.3847/PSJ/ac7224 . hdl :10045/125567 . 156.
External links