| Discovery[1] | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Spacewatch |
| Discovery site | Kitt Peak National Obs. |
| Discovery date | 16 August 1993 |
| Designations | |
| (7025) 1993 QA | |
| 1993 QA | |
| NEO · Apollo[1] · Amor[2] | |
| Orbital characteristics[1] | |
| Epoch 4 September 2017 (JD 2458000.5) | |
| Uncertainty parameter 0 | |
| Observation arc | 22.88 yr (8,358 days) |
| Aphelion | 1.9405AU |
| Perihelion | 1.0111 AU |
| 1.4758 AU | |
| Eccentricity | 0.3149 |
| 1.79yr (655 days) | |
| 25.431° | |
| 0° 32m 59.28s / day | |
| Inclination | 12.607° |
| 146.64° | |
| 323.39° | |
| Earth MOID | 0.0645 AU · 25.1LD |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 0.498±0.171 km[3] 0.77 km(derived)[4] |
| 2.5057h[5][6] | |
| 0.20(assumed)[4] 0.340±0.234[3] | |
| D[7] · S[4][8] | |
| 17.94[4][6] · 18.00[7] · 18.3[1][3] · 18.75±0.47[8] | |
(7025) 1993 QA is a sub-kilometerasteroid classified asnear-Earth object of theApollo andAmor group, respectively. It was discovered on 16 August 1993, by astronomers of theSpacewatch program at theKitt Peak National Observatory near Tucson, Arizona, United States.[2] The asteroid measures approximately half a kilometer in diameter and has a shortrotation period of 2.5057 hours.
1993 QA is a member of the dynamicalApollo group, which areEarth-crossing asteroids. Conversely, it is classified as a non-Earth crossingAmor asteroid by theMinor Planet Center, due to its near-thresholdperihelion of 1.011 AU.[1][2]
It orbits the Sun at a distance of 1.01–1.94 AU once every 21 months (655 days;semi-major axis of 1.48 AU). Its orbit has aneccentricity of 0.31 and aninclination of 13° with respect to theecliptic.[1] The body'sobservation arc begins with its official discovery observation by Spacewatch on 16 August 1993.[2]
The asteroid has anEarthminimum orbital intersection distance of 0.0645 AU (9,650,000 km), which translates into 25.1lunar distances.[1] On 6 February 1996 it transited Earth at a nominal distance of 10,600,000 km; 6,580,000 mi (0.07080 AU). The body's next encounter with Earth below 0.1 AU will occur on 8 February 2048, at a distance of 9,390,000 km; 5,830,000 mi (0.06275 AU).[1]
1993 QA has been characterized as a darkD-type asteroid on images taken by theSloan Digital Sky Survey.[7] Conversely,Pan-STARRS' photometric survey determined a much brighterS-type.[4][8]
In the late 1990s, two rotationallightcurves of1993 QA were obtained from photometric observations by European astronomers. Lightcurve analysis gave an identical, well-definedrotation period of 2.5057 hours with a brightness amplitude of 0.32 and 0.50magnitude, respectively (U=3/3).[5][6] Its period is near the cohesionless spin-barrier of 2.2 hours, which set the upper limit forfast-rotating asteroids.
According to the survey carried out by theNEOWISE mission of NASA'sWide-field Infrared Survey Explorer,1993 QA measures 498 meters in diameter and its surface has a highalbedo of 0.340.[3] TheCollaborative Asteroid Lightcurve Link assumes a standard albedo for stony asteroids of 0.20 and derives a diameter of 770 meters based on anabsolute magnitude of 17.94.[4]
As of 2018, thisminor planet has not been named yet.[2]
