2102 Tantalus

Tantalus

Discovery
Discovered by	C. Kowal
Discovery site	Palomar Observatory
Discovery date	27 December 1975
Designations
MPC designation	(2102) Tantalus
Pronunciation	/ˈtæntələs/
Named after	Tantalus
Alternative designations	1975 YA
Minor planet category	PHA[1]
Orbital characteristics[1]
Epoch 13 January 2016 (JD 2457400.5)
Uncertainty parameter 0
Observation arc	38.63 yr (14111 days)
Aphelion	1.675969247626000 AU (250.72143080353 Gm)
Perihelion	0.9041343191800040 AU (135.25656897612 Gm)
Semi-major axis	1.290051783403 AU (192.9889998898 Gm)
Eccentricity	.299148816495564
Orbital period (sidereal)	1.47 yr (535.19 d)
Mean anomaly	85.78643003020903°
Mean motion	0° 40^m 21.563^s / day
Inclination	64.00535930263230°
Longitude of ascending node	94.36993941983230°
Argument of perihelion	61.55509931046220°
Earth MOID	0.0430913 AU (6.44637 Gm)[1]
Physical characteristics
Dimensions	2-4 km[2]
Synodic rotation period	2.384 h (0.0993 d)[1]
Spectral type	Q[1]
Absolute magnitude (H)	16.0[1]

2102 Tantalus (1975 YA) is an Apollo asteroid discovered on December 27, 1975, by C. Kowal at Palomar Observatory.[1] It is a Q-type asteroid.[1]

2102 Tantalus is a potentially hazardous asteroid (PHA) because its minimum orbit intersection distance (MOID) is less than 0.05 AU and its diameter is greater than 150 meters. The Earth-MOID is 0.0439 AU (6,570,000 km; 4,080,000 mi).[1] Its orbit is well-determined for the next several hundred years.

It will pass 0.04439 AU (6,641,000 km; 4,126,000 mi) from Earth on 2038-Dec-27, which is just slightly closer than the 1975-Dec-26 approach of 0.046 AU.[1] The asteroid is about 2–4 km in diameter.[2]

The shape of 2102 Tantalus is estimated to be roughly spherical in outline and fairly symmetrical; the surface is thought to be covered in a fine-grained regolith.[3]

References

1. "JPL Small-Body Database Browser: 2102 Tantalus". Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
2. "Absolute Magnitude (H)". NASA/JPL. Archived from the original on 2 March 2001. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
3. Rożek, Agata; Lowry, Stephen C.; Rozitis, Benjamin; Dover, Lord R.; Taylor, Patrick A.; Virkki, Anne; Green, Simon F.; Snodgrass, Colin; Fitzsimmons, Alan; Campbell-White, Justyn; Sajadian, Sedighe; Bozza, Valerio; Burgdorf, Martin J.; Dominik, Martin; Figuera Jaimes, R.; Hinse, Tobias C.; Hundertmark, Markus; Jørgensen, Uffe G.; Longa-Peña, Penélope; Rabus, Markus; Rahvar, Sohrab; Skottfelt, Jesper; Southworth, John (2022). "Physical properties of near-Earth asteroid (2102) Tantalus from multiwavelength observations". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 515 (3): 4551–4564. arXiv:2206.14306. doi:10.1093/mnras/stac1835.