en 2014 AF5

2014 AF₅
Discovery
Discovered by	Catalina Sky Survey (703)
Discovery date	2 January 2014
Designations
MPC designation	2014 AF5
Minor planet category	Apollo; NEO;
Orbital characteristics
	Epoch 13 January 2016 (JD 2457400.5)
	Uncertainty parameter 7
Aphelion	2.3810 AU (356.19 Gm) (Q)
Perihelion	0.75353 AU (112.726 Gm) (q)
Semi-major axis	1.5672 AU (234.45 Gm) (a)
Eccentricity	0.51920 (e)
Orbital period (sidereal)	1.96 yr (716.64 d)
Mean anomaly	35.862° (M)
Mean motion	0° 30m 8.424s / day (n)
Inclination	6.4141° (i)
Longitude of ascending node	100.66° (Ω)
Argument of perihelion	288.71° (ω)
Earth MOID	0.000570632 AU (85,365.3 km)
Jupiter MOID	3.08041 AU (460.823 Gm)
Physical characteristics
Dimensions	~7 meters (23 ft); 5–10 meters;
Mass	5×105 kg (assumed)
Absolute magnitude (H)	28.8

2014 AF₅ (also written 2014 AF5) is an Apollo near-Earth asteroid roughly 5–10 meters in diameter that passed less than 1 lunar distance from Earth on 1 January 2014.^[3]

Description

From mid November 2013 until 1 January 2014 15:00 UT the small dim asteroid had an elongation less than 45 degrees from the Sun with an undetectable apparent magnitude of around 30.^[4] While less than 18 degrees from the Sun any dim asteroid can be lost in astronomical twilight. On 1 January 2014 10:00 UT the asteroid passed 0.00062 AU (93,000 km; 58,000 mi) from the Moon and at 16:13 UT passed 0.00064 AU (96,000 km; 59,000 mi) from Earth.^[3] The asteroid was then discovered on 2 January 2014 by the Catalina Sky Survey at an apparent magnitude of 18.9 using a 0.68-meter (27 in) Schmidt–Cassegrain telescope.^[1] By 3 January 2014 the asteroid was becoming dimmer than apparent magnitude 20.^[4]